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http://www.archive.org/details/missionlifeinhawOOalex 


REV.  WM.   P.  ALEXANDER. 


Mission  Life  in  Hawaii 


MEMOIR.     OE 


RKY.  WILL r AM  P.  ALEXANDER. 


BY 
JAMES    M.    ALEXANDER. 


OAKLAND,   CALIFORNIA, 

Pacific  Press  Publishing  Company. 

1888, 


Copyrighted,  1888,  hy 
JAMES   M.  ALEXANDER. 


PREFACE. 

The  missionary  Fathers  who,  through  God's  blessing, 
changed  Hawaii's  pagan  night  to  day,  have  nearly  all  gone  to 
their  eternal  rest;  and  now  it  is  becoming  a  matter  of  increas- 
ing interest  to  save  the  records  of  their  character  and  work. 
Every  letter  and  manuscript  of  theirs,  every  reminiscence  and 
memorial  of  them,  is  becoming  very  precious  to  their  relatives 
and  those  interested  in  the  mission  cause. 

It  is  with  a  view  to  save  some  of  these  priceless  relics,  that 
this  memorial  volume  of  Rev.  William  P.  Alexander  is  pub- 
lished for  his  children  and  particular  friends.  There  are  writ- 
ings by  him  and  of  him,  which  they  feel  they  cannot  afford  to 
lose;  there  are  narratives  of  his  experience,  the  influence  of 
which  they  need;  there  are  tributes  of  affection,  which  they  de- 
sire to  weave  as  a  wreath  of  immortelles  about  his  memory  and 
the  mission  cause. 

In  accordance  with  what  is  known  of  his  unassuming  dis- 
position it  is  not  desired  to  claim  for  him  more  regard  than  for 
the  other  missionary  Fathers,  but  to  show  what  divine  grace 
may  accomplish  in  excellence  and  beauty  of  character  and  in 
self-sacrificing  labor  to  the  glory  of  God. 

I  have  been  assisted  by  my  brother,  Prof.  Wm.  D.  Alexan- 
der, in  collecting  the  materials  for  this  volume,  and  by  other 
members  of  the.  family  in  its  publication,  to  all  of  whom  it  has 
been  a  labor  of  love  and  of  interest  in  the  mission  cause. 

Since  the  above  was  written  the  death  of  Mrs.  Mary  Alex- 
ander, the  widow  of  Rev.  Wm.  P.  Alexander,  has  occurred. 
Another  chapter  is  added,  giving  an  account  of  her  sickness 
and  death,  and  tributes  to  her  memory. 

(iii)  j.  m.  a, 


CONTENTS. 

Page. 

I.     Ancestry  and  Early  Life, 7 

II.     Theological     Education     and     Missionary 

Consecration, 15 

III.  Voyage  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands,    ...  21 

IV.  Arrival  at  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  $6 
V.     Deputation  to  the  English  Missionaries  at 

the  Society  Islands, 41 

AT.     Travels  on  Hawaii, 66 

VII.     The  Marquesas  Islands, 71 

VIII.     Waioli,       . 88 

IX.     Lahainaluna, 100 

X.     Wailuku, 106 

xi.     yovages    to    the    marquesas    and    mlcro 

nesian  Islands, 113 

XII.     The  Wailuku  Home, 122 

XIII.  Sickness  and  Death,      . 133 

XIV.  Memorial    Discourses,    Testimonials,    and 

Sermons, 139 

XV.     Mrs.  Mary  A.  Alexander.    Account  of  Hi  i 

Death  and  Tributes  to  Her  Memory.       .  i8-j 


CHAPTER    I. 

ANCESTRY   AND    EARLY    LIFE. 

THE  lineage  of  Rev.  William  Alexander  can  be 
traced  with  considerable  certainty  to  several  broth- 
ers of  the  name  of  Alexander,  who,  about  the  year  1734, 
emigrated  from  Scotland  to  America. 

There  is  a  legend  that  seven  brothers  of  that  name 
agreed  together  to  remove  to  the  New  World,  and  that 
at  the  last  moment,  when  about  to  embark,  they  sent  for 
a  clergyman  to  baptize  their  bairns.  As  this  clergyman 
did  not  belong  to  the  Established  Church  of  Scotland, 
he  was  arrested  by  the  civil  authorities  for  administer- 
ing the  ordinance  of  baptism.  The  brothers  looked  for 
advice  in  this  dilemma  to  their  mother,  whom,  according 
to  the  Scottish  customs,  they  implicitly  obeyed  even  in 
mature  age.  She.  with  their  families  on  board  of  the 
vessel,  prayed  over  the  matter  all  day,  and  at  evening 
said,  "  Gang  ye  avva  men,  and  tak  our  minister  and 
bring  him  on  boord.  We  will  tak  him  to  America  with 
us."  They  therefore  took  him  out  of  jail  in  the  night, 
and  with  him  put  to  sea.  When  the  next  morning  the 
magistrates  sought  for  him  for  trial,  he  was  far  away  on 
his  voyage  to  the  land  of  liberty.  He  remained  with 
these  brothers  the  rest  of  his  life,  ministering  to  their 
families  as  their  pastor. 

One  of  this  family  had  previously  emigrated  to  Lon- 
donderrv,    in    the    North  of   Ireland,  and    three  of  his 

(7) 


8  MEMOIR    OF 

sons  removed  to  America  and  settled  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  above-mentioned  brothers. 

These  families  were  generally  well  educated,  as  is 
shown  by  the  books  they  transmitted  to  their  children, 
and  they  had  the  means  of  living  in  comfort,  as  is  shown 
by  the  houses  they  built.  They  settled  chiefly  in  the 
vicinity  of  Frederickstown,  Maryland,  and  thence  emi- 
grated in  various  directions.  Prof.  Archibald  Alex- 
ander, of  Princeton  Seminary,  was  one  of  their  descend- 
ants, as  also  Prof.  William  Alexander,  of  the  Presby- 
terian Theological  Seminary  of  San  Francisco. 

In  one  of  these  families  Patrick  Alexander  was  born 
in  Frederickstown,  Maryland,  in  the  year  1740.  His 
third  son,  James  Alexander,  born  September  25,  1770, 
removed  to  Virginia,  and  there  married  Mrs.  Mary  Rose 
Depuy,  December  26,  1793.  In  1800  he  removed  to 
Kentucky,  and  made  a  home  near  Paris  in  Bourbon 
County. 

This  James  Alexander  is  said  to  have  been  "a  wise 
and  godly  Presbyterian  elder."  It  was  his  custom  to 
gather  his  family  together  Sabbath  evenings  to  repeat 
at  one  sitting  the  whole  "  Shorter  Catechism,"  and  at 
other  times  to  give  Bible  proof  texts  for  all  its  doctrines. 
In  this  way  a  foundation  was  laid  for  a  knowledge  of 
theology,  that  was  of  great  service  to  three  of  his  sons, 
Thomas,  Samuel,  and  William,  who  became  ministers  cf 
the  gospel.  He  died  suddenly  at  Cincinnati,  October  3, 
182 1,  aged  fifty-one  years.  His  sixth  son,  William 
Patterson  Alexander,  is  the  subject  of  this  narrative. 

Of  the  early  life  of  William  P.  Alexander  about 
all  that  is  known  is  contained  in  brief  records  written  by 
him  for  his  own  benefit,  extracts  from  which  are  here 
given  : — 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  g 

" Princeton,  N.  /.,  February  10,  182Q. — I  now  under- 
take to  write  a  short  account  of  my  life,  that  hereafter  I 
may  more  easily  refer  to  God's  dealings  with  me,  and 
that  by  reviewing  what  is  pac.t  I  may  acquire  a  greater 
knowledge  of  my  own  character.  ...  I  was  born 
the  25th  of  July,  1805,  at  tric  waters  of  Stoner,  about 
two  miles  southeast  of  Paris,  Kentucky.  .  .  .  At 
five  )  cars  of  age  I  was  sent  to  school  to  John  T.  Edgar, 
at  Paris,  Kentucky,  one  mile  and  a  quarter  from  home, 
during  which  time  I  had  the  measles.  After  this  I  went 
to  a  country  school  near  Col.  Henry  Clay's,  half  a  mile 
from  home,  to  a  succession  of  teachers,  till  182 1,  viz., 
Sterman,  Mourning,  Henry,  Moffit,  and  David  Dunlap. 
At  these  schools  I  learned  almost  nothing,  except  with 
Henry  and  Dunlap.  The  former  waked  me  up  to  seek 
for  a  reason  for  everything  I  did  in  arithmetic;  the  latter 
was  my  teacher  in  geometry,  algebra,  surveying,  and 
astronomy." 

This  awaking  to  inquire  for  reasons  for  mathematical 
processes  was  evidently  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in 
his  life.  PI  is  diary  was  intended  as  a  private  record  of 
his  inner  religious  life,  and  as  such  it   is  a  precious  relic. 

But  his  outward  life  was  that  of  other  boys  in  those 
early  days,  among  the  sons  of  pioneer  hunters  and 
Indian  fighters  of  Kentucky,  and  he  entered  with  keen 
zest  into  the  stirring  life  of  the  period.  In  later  years 
his  character  was  deeply  imbued  with  the  chivalrous 
traits  that  honorably  distinguished  the  Kentucky  gentle- 
man cf  "  the  old  school." 

It  appears  that  through  the  influence  of  his  pious 
parents  his  mind  was  profoundly  occupied  from  his 
earliest  days  with  the  subject  of  religion.  Of  this  we 
find  the  following  accounts  in  his  diary: — 


10  MEMOIR    OF 

"  During  the  time  I  was  at  school,  the  pious  exhorta- 
tions of  my  father  caused  me  to  frequently  set  about 
reform;  often  did  I  endeavor  to  work  out  a  legal  right- 
eousness by  abstaining  from  the  more  gross  violations  of 
God's  law,  by  praying,  so  far  as  form  was  concerned,  two 
or  three  times  a  day;  but  finding  that  I  remained  the 
same,  I  at  length  gave  up  the  effort.  .  .  .  But  so 
frequently  did  the  light  of  God's  truth  penetrate  my 
mind,  that  about  every  month  after  I  was  twelve  years 
of  age,  I  made  efforts  after  holiness,  though  as  often 
convinced  that  they  were  unavailing." 

He  has  mentioned  that  during  this  time  he  once 
plead  with  his  brother  John,  whom  he  observed  anxious 
on  the  subject  of  religion,  not  to  defer  seeking  an  inter- 
est in  Christ,  a  remarkable  procedure  for  one  not  himself 
a  Christian. 

"In  1 82 1,"  he  records,  "my  father  died.  All  his 
warnings  now  rushed  upon  my  mind  like  a  flood;  and 
with  more  vigor  than  ever,  I  set  about  self-reformation. 
My  efforts  proving  unavailing,  I  gave  myself  up  to  the 
power  of  sin,  restrained  only  by  pride  of  character. 

"  Being  left  by  my  father's  death  more  at  my  own  dis- 
posal, I  commenced  the  study  of  Latin  with  Ebenezer 
Shai  pe,  at  Bourbon  Academy.  I  read  the  usual  course, 
and  made  some  proficiency  in  Greek.  In  the  spring  of 
1824,  I  received  a  call  to  take  charge  of  the  mathemati- 
cal department  in  Centre  College.  This  at  first  ap- 
peared to  be  a  situation  just  adapted  to  my  wishes." 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  at  so  early  an  age  as 
nineteen  years  old  he  was  called  to  such  a  position. 

"  While  at  Danville,  my  brother  Samuel,  who  was  then 
at  college,  told  me  of  his  hope,  that  he  had  fled  for 
refuge  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  had  been  accepted  of  him, 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  u 

and  of  his  intention  of  making  a  profession  of  religion 
the  first  opportunity.  This  very  much  affected  me,  and 
caused  me  to  again  seek  reformation.  I  tried  to  get  from 
under  the  power  of  sin,  in  order  that  I  might  with  more 
face  apply  to  the  Saviour  for  help  ;  for  still  my  proud 
heart  was  unwilling  to  renounce  everything,  and  to 
receive  salvation  without  a  price." 

Desiring  to  resume  his  studies  with  E.  Sharpe,  he  re- 
turned to  Paris,  and  continued  six  months  more  under 
his  instruction. 

"Rev.  John  MacFarland,"  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  of  Paris,  "about  this  time  delivered  a  course 
of  lectures  on  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  the  course  of  these 
lectures  I  saw  plainly  that  if  ever  I  was  saved  it  must 
be  by  sovereign  grace.  I  saw  that  I  had  sinned  against 
a  holy  God,  and  was  filthy  in  his  sight.  Utterly  despair- 
ing of  help  in  myself,  and  being  convinced  that  there 
was  plenteous  redemption  in  Christ,  I  endeavored  to 
cast  myself  on  his  mercy.  I  abhorred  myself  on  account 
of  sin,  and  the  truth  that  the  'blood  of  Christ  cleans- 
cth  from  all  sin'  was  very  precious  to  me.  I  recognized 
God  as  my  Father,  reconciled  through  his  dear  Son.  I 
delighted  to  pour  out  my  soul  in  secret  to  him,  though 
often  a  sense  of  my  unworthiness  was  such  as  to  make 
me  doubt  whether  God  would  regard  me  with  mercy. 
Yet  the  reflection  that  Christ  was  my  righteousness 
would  revive  my  confidence." 

About  this  time,  the  1st  of  January,  1825,  he  drew  up 
a  form  of  dedication  of  himself  to  God,  which,  though 
almost  too  sacred  for  publication,  is  here  given,  for  the 
light  it  throws  on  his  subsequent  character  and  life. 

"Having  for  some  time  desired  to  commit  to  writing 
the  dedication  of  myself  to   God,  I  shall  now  endeavor 


12  MEMOIR    OF 

to  do  it  acceptably  through  his  grace  abounding  in  Christ 
Jesus. 

'"Lord  God,  who  alone  art  Jehovah,  grant  through  the 
mercies  of  thy  well-beloved  Son,  to  pour  out  thy  Holy 
Spirit  upon  me,  that  I  may  proceed  in  dedicating  my- 
self to  thee  in  an  acceptable  manner. 

"I  am  a  rebellious  sinner,  by  nature  alienated  from 
thee.  My  heart  is  a  sink  of  corruption,  diseased  with 
the  leprosy  and  corroding  ulcers  of  sin;  it  verily  merits 
thy  holy  indignation  and  hatred.  But  thanks  and  praise 
to  thy  holy  name,  although  I  am  thus  vile  and  filthy, 
there  is  a  fountain  opened  in  the  house  of  David  for  sin 
and  unclean ncss.  Jesus  Christ  has  suffered  in  the  room 
and  stead  of  sinners,  he  has  borne  the  sins  of  a  rebellious 
world  in  his  own  body  on  the  cross,  and  now  gives  the 
assurance  of  a  God,  that  all  who  come  believing  on  him, 
shall  be  saved. 

"  O  God,  I  would  plead  thy  promises,  made  to  thy 
church  and  its  offspring.  I  have  been  given  to  thee  in 
baptism,  and  thou  hast  promised  to  ratify  in  Heaven 
whatever  is  done  in  thy  name  on  earth.  Give  me,  O 
God,  the  blessings  of  thy  Holy  Spirit,  signified  by  this 
ordinance.  Thou  hast  promised  to  be  a  Father  to  such 
as  fear  thy  name,  and  to  their  children.  Oh,  give  me  the 
spirit  of  adoption,  that  I  may  really  recognize  thee  as 
my  Father,  Enable  me,  when  pleading  these  promises, 
really  to  believe  that  thou  art  a  faithful  and  performing 
God. 

"  Now,  Jehovah,  I  give  myself  to  thee,  body  and  soul, 
and  all  that  thou  hast  given  me.  I  place  all  in  thy 
hands,  as  in  the  hands  of  a  faithful  Creator.  Help  me 
ever  to  act  for  thee,  not  for  myself. 

"I  would  take  thee  for  my  Father,  my  Saviour,  my 
Sanctifier.  Oh,  enable  me  in  deed  and  truth  to  say,  I  am 
thine  and  thou  art  mine.  O  Lord,  wilt  thou  ratify  this 
dedication.  Father,  accept  me,  as  thou  regardest  the 
death  and  sufferings  of  thy  dear  Son.  I  trust  in  his  all- 
prevailing  name. 

"  Let  all  that  is  in  Heaven  and  earth  praise  the  Lord; 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  13 

for  his  mercy  endureth  forever.  O  my  soul,  bless  his 
holy  name.  And  to  God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  and 
God  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  only  wise  God,  be  honor,  and 
glory,  and  power,  and  dominion  forever.    Amen. 

"Give  me  humility,  whilst  I  subscribe  my  worthless 
name,  Wm.  P.  Alexander. 

"July  6,  1826. — This  day,  O  Lord  God,  help  me  re- 
newedly  to  dedicate  myself  to  thee  ;  and  mourning  over 
my  past  failures,  I  would  beg  thy  sustaining  power,  to 
preserve  me  from  backsliding  from  thee.  W.  P.  A. 

"  Prince/on,  N.J.,Jau  1, 1829. — Four  years  have  passed 
since  I  wrote  this  dedication  ;  but  I  have  here  in  form 
given  myself  to  God,  and  in  reality  have  served  myself. 
O  Father,  who  hast  borne  with  me,  forgive  my  hateful 
departures  from  thee,  and  through  Jesus  Christ,  my  Sav- 
iour,-enable  me  henceforth  to  live  for  thee. 

"W.  P.  Alexander." 

The  experience  described  by  this  dedication  was 
pivotal  in  his  life.  It  determined  his  subsequent  char- 
acter and  career.  It  naturally  resulted  from  it  that  he 
united  with  the  church,  that  he  entered  a  theological 
seminary  to  study  for  the  ministry,  that  he  consecrated 
himself  to  the  cause  of  foreign  missions,  and  that  he 
performed  all  the  labors,  and  achieved  all  the  success,  of 
his  missionary  career. 

The  diary  continues  to  great  length,  with  records  of 
events,  and  touching  accounts  of  religious  experience,  a 
few  quotations  from  which  will  suffice  for  illustrating 
his  religious  growth.  After  mentioning  the  fact  of  his 
joining  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Paris,  the  Sabbath 
after  writing  his  dedication,  he  writes: — 

"For  one  or  two  months  I  enjoyed  much  of  God's 
presence;  but  I  soon  found  the  life  of  a  Christian  was  a 
warfare;  fori  soon  had  to  pas  through  many  severe 
spiritual  conflicts,  but  never  was  so  far  overcome  that  I 


14  MEMOIR    OF 

doubted  the  sufficiency  of  my  Saviour.  Yet  he  was  con- 
tinually with  me,  doing  me  good. 

"The  summer  of  1825  I  taught  school  on  Cooper's 
Run,  five  miles  from  Paris,  to  raise  money  to  go  to  col- 
lege. ...  In  November  I  went  to  Maysville,  to 
assist  J.  T.  Edgar  in  teaching  school.  ...  In  the 
fall  of  1826  I  went  to  Centre  College  to  complete  my 
education.  (God  had  recently  poured  out  his  spirit  there 
in  a  remarkable  manner,  and  was  pleased  to  revive  me 
in  some  measure.  ...  I  lived  along  at  Dan- 
ville, sometimes  engaged  in  the  battle,  sometimes  yield- 
ing the  conflict;  and  I  certainly  would  have  forever  wan- 
dered from  God,  but  in  great  mercy  he  would  not  let 
me  go,  but  drew  me  with  cords  of  loving- kindness,  and 
showed  me  that  my  help  was  still  in  him.) 

"In  November,  1827,  I  joined  a  theological  class,  to 
study  Hebrew  and  the  Greek  Testament,  etc.  In  De- 
cember, and  subsequently  through  the  winter,  the  Lord 
in  a  remarkable  manner  visited  his  church  in  Paris,  as 
he  had  visited  many  other  churches  in  the  State.  Dur- 
ing this  time  my  soul  was  somewhat  refreshed,  and  I 
sometimes  was  able  to  plead  with  God  for  sinners,  and 
to  praise  him  for  his  wonderful  works.  In  April  (twenty- 
two  years  of  age)  I  was  chosen  an  elder  in  the  church, 
and  in  May  I  was  ordained." 

Here  are  recorded  strong  expressions  of  regret  that  he 
did  not  accomplish  more  in  the  office  of  elder. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THEOLOGICAL  EDUCATION  AND  MISSIONARY  CONSECRA- 
TION. 

THE  theological  class  which  Mr.  Alexander  had 
joined  was  broken  up  in  the  latter  part  of  July, 
1828,  by  the  death  of  Mr.  MacFarland.  Mr.  Alexander 
was  now  kindly  assisted  by  his  brother  Thomas  to  take  a 
course  in  Princeton  Seminary. 

"I  set  out  for  Princeton,"  he  says,  ':the  6th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1828,  accompanied  by  Brethren  McRoberts  and 
Lilly,  and  Mrs.  MacFarland.  I  reached  Princeton  the 
1st  of  November,  and  blessed  God  for  bringing  me 
hither.  Even  within  these  consecrated  walls  I  found 
a  proneness  to  forget  God,  a  proneness  to  let  social 
prayer  suffice  for  secret,  especially  as  I  found  it  dif- 
ficult to  be  alone.  With  Brother  McRoberts,  my  dear 
chum,  feeling  the  need  of  being  at  times  alone  with  God, 
I  made  arrangements,  by  which  we  have  an  opportunity 
for  secret  prayer  three  times  a  day.  Since  then  I  have 
reason  to  bless  God.  I  have  had  more  longings  for  holi- 
ness than  heretofore. 

"About  this  time  my  attention  was  turned  particu- 
larly to  the  perishing  condition  of  the  heathen ;  and  I 
have  since  endeavored  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  whether  I 
might  carry  the  gospel  to  some  of  them.  I  feel  on  the 
whole  more  desirous  to  go  than  to  remain  in  the  United 
States.  It  was  my  choice  to  go  to  Palestine;  accord- 
ingly I  commenced  the  study  of  Syriac." 


1 6  MEMOIR    OF 

Among  his  papers  are  found  copies  of  Syriac  gram- 
mars, written  by  him  at  this  time. 

"On  the  ioth  of  January,  1S29,  I  joined  with  Breth- 
ren McRoberts,  Lindly,  Condit,  Granger,  and  Harri- 
son, in  a  covenant  to  spend  every  Saturday  in  fasting 
and  prayer  for  growth  in  grace.  We  meet  Saturday 
evenings,  to  recount  God's  dealings  with  us  during  the 
preceding  week,  and  to  pray  for  growth  in  grace.  I 
bless  God  for  this  association.  I  think  my  soul  has 
been  enriched  by  means  of  it,  and  hope  yet  to  have 
many  delightful  seasons  with  these  dear  brethren." 

A  voluminous  diary  follows  of  his  religious  experience 
day  by  day  through  this  period  of  his  life,  from  which 
his  thoughts  in  regard  to  undertaking  the  foreign  mis- 
sion enterprise  are  here  quoted  : — 

"Read  a  short  history  of  the  South  Sea  islanders,  and 
cannot  but  be  amazed  at  the  transforming  power  of  the 
gospel.  That  I  may  be  permitted  to  carry  it  to  some 
dark  corner  of  the  earth  is  my  daily  prayer. 
This  evening  I  took  a  dismission  from  the  '  South  and 
West  Society,'  believing  that,  with  my  present  views,  I 
cannot  conscientiously  remain  a  member.  For  if  the 
Lord  will  not  shut  up  my  way,  I  feel  bound  in  spirit  to 
carry  the  gospel  to  some  of  the  millions  in  pagan  dark- 
ness.    O  Father,  be  my  guide.      .      .     . 

"  April  6,  1829. — For  several  days  past  I  have  fre- 
quently inquired  of  the  Lord  whether  I  shall  give  my 
name  to  the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  I 
still  hesitate  in  determining  what  is  duty.  O  Lord,  di- 
rect my  steps,  and  help  me  to  glorify  thy  name. 

"April  8,  1829. — This  evening  in  conversation  with 
Mr.  Evarts,  Secretary  of  the  American  Board,  I  felt 
aroused  on  the  subject  of  missions,  and  inclined  to  hope 


REV.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  \y 

that  I  would  be  allowed  to  serve  God  on  heathen 
ground.  O  Father,  direct  me,  as  though  a  voice 
behind  me  were  saying,  'This  is  the  way,  walk  ye 
in  it.'     . 

"  April  9. — I  bless  the  Lord,  for  he  has  been  precious  to 
my  soul  to-day  ;  and  a  consideration  of  his  presence  and 
love  has  kept  me  in  a  melting  mood.  I  had  another 
interview  with  Mr.  Evarts  to-day,  told  him  all  my 
feelings  on  the  subject  of  missions,  and  promised  to 
write  to  him  soon.  I  trust  the  Lord  will  grant  me  the 
grace  to  preach  the  gospel  among  the  heathen.  O  God, 
I  am  thine;  guide  me  in  the  path  of  duty.     .     .     . 

"June  II,  1829. — This  morning  I  received  a  most  affec- 
tionate letter  from  my  dear  sister  Ann.  Oh,  she  is  dear 
to  my  heart,  and  in  the  most  tender  way  she  weaves 
those  ties  which  bind  me  to  my  native  land;  but  I  hope 
the  ties  which  bind  me  to  my  blessed  Saviour  are 
stronger;  and  if  he  will  bid  me,  and  give  me  strength,  I 
will  sunder  all  filial  and  fraternal  bonds,  and  go  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth.  0  Lord,  thou  art  my  portion  be 
thou  my  guide. 

"  November  11,  iSjo. — A  letter  has  come  to  hand  from 
Jeremiah  Evarts,  informing  me  that  I  am  appointed  a 
missionary  of  the  American  Board.  It  produces  very 
solemn  reflections.  Now  unless  God  prevent  by  his 
providence,  I  am  going  to  the  heathen  to  spend  my  life 
in  telling  them  of  Jesus  (a  thing  for  which  I  have  often 
prayed).  It  will  be  a  trial  to  leave  my  friends  and  coun- 
try; but  'if  any  man  love  father  or  mother  more  than 
me,  he  is  not  worthy  of  me.'  I  do  love  them,  but  I  feel 
in  my  heart  I  can  gladly  bid  them  farewell.  I  may 
meet  with  sore  trials  on  pagan  ground  ;  the  rude  bar- 
barian may  imbrue  his  hands  in  my  blood;  but  no  suf- 

2 


iS  MEMOIR    OF 

fcrings  of  this  life  are  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the 
glory  which  is  to  be  revealed.  Furthermore,  they  get 
near  the  throne  in  glory  'who  come  out  of  great  tribu- 
lation,'and  'their  robes  are  washed  and  made  white  in 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb.'  It  is  a  privilege,  it  is  an  honor, 
to  suffer  for  Christ;  and  I  now  feel  as  if  I  could  count 
it  all  joy,  to  be  found  worthy  to  suffer  for  his  sake.  The 
sore  trial  after  all  lies  deeper  than  this;  it  lies  in  my- 
self. Oh,  it  is  this  load  of  sin,  which  I  bear  about  me;  I 
am  so  prone  to  wander  from  God.  ...  I  trust  in 
him,  and  seek  him  with  my  whole  heart,  and  realize  his 
blessing.     . 

"  April  -[,  i8ji. — Yesterday  I  was  down  at  Millstone. 
Three  of  my  Sabbath-school  teachers  are  anxiously  in- 
quiring the  way  to  Jesus.  I  trust  the  Holy  Spirit  has 
commenced  a  good  work  in  their  souls.  Conversed 
awhile  with  a  colored  scholar.  ...  I  proceeded 
to  explain  to  her  how  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world, 
and  suffered  and  died  in  the  place  of  sinners.  This  was 
a  doctrine  entirely  new  to  her.  She  wept  profusely  as  I 
explained  it  to  her.  ...  I  felt  as  though  I  were  ex- 
plaining the  way  of  salvation  to  a  poor  heathen.  I  hope 
it  will  prove  life  to  her  soul. 

"  August  2, 1 8j I. — To-day  I  have  been  examined  by 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  on  theology,  church 
history,  church  government,  the  sacraments,  and  He- 
brew, and  have  been  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  High  and  holy  calling!  An  angel  might  seek 
it,  and  an  angel  might  tremble  in  view  of  its  responsi- 
bilities! How  unworthy  and  unfit  am  I  for  the  work! 
Much  heavenly  wisdom  is  needed.  Oh,  grant  it,  Lord, 
that  thy  Son  may  be  glorified  and  sinners  rescued  from 
perdition.      But   how   little    do    I   know  of  the   love  of 


REV.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  19 

Christ!  How  poorly  qualified  am  I  to  direct  souls  unto 
him!  I  will  look  to  him  for  grace  and  strength,  and,  using 
all  diligence,  will  trust  in  him,  that  he  will  keep  me  from 
disgracing  the  holy  office.  Gracious  Redeemer,  I  would 
now  covenant  anew  to  be  thine.  Oh,  make  me  wise  to 
win  souls  to  thee;  and  if  thou  dost  grant  me  the  grace 
to  preach  among  the  heathen  thine  unsearchable  riches, 
oh,  may  I  be  faithful  unto  death.  Oh,  guide  my  feet, 
uphold  my  goings,  and  deliver  me  from  sin.  Grant  me 
the  anointing  of  the  Holy  Spirit  for  thy  mercy's  sake. 
Amen. 

"August  7,  iSji. — Yesterday  I  received  a  letter  from 
Rev.  R.  Anderson,  informing  me  that  Brother  Arm- 
strong and  myself  are  designated  for  the  mission  in  the 
Pacific.  To  this  field  my  heart  inclined  me,  and  I  trust 
it  has  been  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  rejoice  in  the  prospect 
of  starting  to  the  field  next  November.  I  rejoice  that  I 
may  so  soon  have  the  high  privilege  of  telling  poor  dy- 
ing heathen  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  rejoice  in  having  my  dear 
Brother  Armstrong  for  my  companion.  Bless  the  Lord, 
O  my  soul,  for  he  has  dealt  bountifully  with  thee.  I 
would  have  been  glad  to  have  enjoyed  the  company  of 
Brethren  Forbes,  Thomson,  and  Boggs.  Perhaps 
Forbes  may  yet  go  with  us.  The  Lord  direct,  and  to 
his  will  I  wish  to  say  from  the  heart,  Amen.      .     .     . 

"  I  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  Octo- 
ber 12,  1 83 1,  at  the  same  time  with  Rev.  W.  O.  Thom- 
son" (who  wrote  "The  Land  and  the  Book"). 

The  following  accounts  of  the  action  of  that  Presby- 
tery are  found  among  his  papers. 

"  Extracts  from  the  minutes  of  the  Presbytery  of  Cin- 
cinnati, October  12,  1 83 1. 

"Presbytery  satisfied   with   the  examination  of  both 


20  MEMOIR    OF 

the  candidates  for  ordination,  agreed  to  ordain  them  this 
evening,  the  exercises  to  commence  at  seven  o'clock. 
At  which  time  Rev.  John  Thomson  preached  the  ser- 
mon, and  the  Rev.  James  Gallaher  presided,  and  gave 
the  charge.  And  William  P.  Alexander  and  William 
M.  Thomson  were,  according  to  the  rules  of  our  church 
government,  solemnly  ordained  to  the  holy  ministry,  as 
evangelists,  appointed  to  foreign  missions,  by  prayer 
and  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery.  And 
the  Stated  Clerk  was  directed  to  furnish  the  newly  or- 
dained evangelists  with  the  necessary  testimonials. 

"A  true  copy,  John  Thomson,  Stated  Clerk  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Cincinnati. 

"This  is  to  certify,  that  the  bearer,  the  Rev.  Wm.  P. 
Alexander,  who  is  appointed  by  the  American  Board  of 
Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  a  missionary  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  is  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Cincinnati  in  good  standing;  and  being  about  to  set  out 
for  his  field  of  labor,  he  is  hereby  affectionately  recom- 
mended to  the  Christian  sympathies  and  fellowship  of 
his  missionary  brethren,  or  any  other  people  of  God, 
among  whom  he  may  travel  or  sojourn.  Certified  at 
Cincinnati  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  on  the  13th  day  of  Oc- 
tober, A.  D.  1 83 1,  and  signed  on  behalf,  and  by  order 
of,  said  Presbytery.  By  John  Thomson,  Stated  Clerk  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati." 

During  visits  with  Rev.  Wm.  Dewitt,  D.  D.,  at  Harris- 
burg,  Pa.,  on  his  journeys  to  and  from  Princeton,  Mr. 
Alexander  made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Mary  Ann 
McKinney,  whom  he  first  met  while  she  was  engaged  in 
city  mission  work,  and  to  whom  he  was  married,  at  Har- 
risburg,  October  25,  1831. 


CH  A  PTE  R   III. 

VOYAGE  TO    THE  HAWAIIAN   ISLANDS. 
["For  his  name's  sake  they  went  forth."     3  John  7.] 

THE  fourth  re-inforcement  of  missionaries  for  the  Ha- 
waiian Islands  met  in  Boston,  previous  to  embark- 
ing-, to  receive  instructions  from  the  Pi  udential  Commit- 
tee  of  the  American  Board.  On  this  occasion  Dr.  Ander- 
son asked  Messrs.  Alexander  and  Armstrong  and  their 
wives  whether  they  would  be  willing  to  undertake  a  new 
mission  to  the  Marquesas  Islands,  provided  arrangements 
could  be  made  for  it  with  the  London  Mission  Society. 
They  assented.  This  re-inforcement  consisted  of  nine- 
teen persons.  They  were:  Rev.  Messrs.  Alexander,  Arm- 
strong, Lyman,  Emerson,  Eorbes,  Hitchcock,  Lyons. 
Spaulding,  and  their  wives,  Dr.  Chapin  and  his  wife,  and 
Mr.  Rogers,  a  printer.  They  embarked  at  New  Bedford, 
November  26,  1831,011  the  ship  Averick,  Captain  Swain. 
A  journal  of  Mr.  Alexander's  and  reminiscences,  written 
by  his  wife  and  others,  disclose  to  us  many  pictures  of 
their  voyage.     We  quote  as  follows:— 

"At  sea,  on  board  ship  Averick,  Monday  evening, 
November  28,  i8ji. — Day  before  yesterday,  Saturday, 
November  26,  we  embaiked  at  New  Bedford,  Mass. 
The  wharf  was  crowded  with  friends,  who  assembled  to 
bid  us  adieu.  The)-  united  with  us  in  singing,  '  Blest  be 
the  tic  that  binds  our  hearts  in  mutual  love,'  after  which 
Mr.    Green,   Assistant  Secretary  of   the    Board,  led  in 

(21) 


22  MUM  OIK    OF 

prayer.  As  the  sloop,  bearing  us  to  the  ship,  left  the 
shore,  we  sang,  'Shall  we  whose  souls  are  lighted,'  etc., — - 
words  which  seemed  to  have  a  new  meaning,  sung  by  so 
large  a  company,  bound  on  such  an  errand. 
Our  first  business  on  board  was  putting  our  state-rooms 
in  order,  and  preparing  for  seasickness,  which  we  did 
none  too  soon.  Mrs.  Hitchcock  was  the  first  sick ;  all  the 
rest  soon  followed  her  example.  I  was  not  much  sick 
till  bed-time." 

Some  of  the  other  passengers  have  recorded  their 
view,  that  it  was  a  mistake  for  so  large  a  company  to 
have  been  sent  on  a  vessel  with  the  inadequate  accom- 
modations of  this.  Four  berths  in  the  cabin,  suitable 
for  single  persons,  had  to  be  used  as  double  beds,  and 
the  rest  of  the  passengers  were  stowed  away  in  tempo- 
rary berths  on  the  sides  of  the  after  cabin,  a  dark  and 
dismal  place,  crowded  with  boxes,  casks,  and  kegs,  in 
utter  confusion. 

"Before  retiring  for  the  night,  Brother  Emerson  asked 
permission  of  the  captain  to  have  prayers  in  the  cabin, 
to  which  he  gave  his  hearty  approbation.  I  read  the 
1 2  ist  psalm,  'I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills,  etc.,' 
and  we  sang  one  verse  of  the  hymn,  '  Guide  me,  O  thou 
great  Jehovah,'  after  which  I  made  a  short  prayer.  The 
captain  attended. 

"During  the  night  a  severe  gale  of  wind  arose,  and 
made  us  all  very  sick.  Sabbath  morning  none  of  us 
were  well  enough  to  attend  prayers.  The  captain  showed 
great  kindness  in  every  particular.  He  seemed  to  watch 
for  opportunities  to  confer  favors.  .  .  .  Sabbath 
night  the  gale  was  still  more  violent;  the  sea  broke  over 
the  deck,  and  swept  away  some  chickens  and  provisions, 
given  us  by  friends.     This  morning  I  hastened  to  the 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  23 

deck.  The  sea  ran  very  high.  All  the  sails  were  furled. 
The  fresh  air  restored  me.  In  the  midst  of  our  seasick- 
ness we  have  many  things  for  which  we  ought  to  be 
thankful,  the  kindness  of  the  captain  and  other  officers, 
and  particularly  of  the  steward  and  cook,  the  comforts 
of  our  large  state-room,  and  the  fact  that  I  have  not  been 
so  sick  but  that  I  could  attend  to  the  wants  of  my  dear 
wife.  Here  in  the  wide  Atlantic  I  erect  my  Ebenezer 
hitherto  the  Lord  hath  helped  me. 

"  November  jo. — Yesterday  we  had  so  violent  a  storm 
that  I  could  not  write.  At  one  time  it  seemed  as  if 
everything  in  the  cabin  would  be  broken  to  pieces.  The 
rope  which  turns  the  helm  broke,  and  the  swell  broke 
heavily  over  the  ship." 

In  this  storm  the  casks  and  boxes  broke  loose  in  the 
cabin,  making  confusion  worse  confounded.  Such  inci- 
dents occurred  as  gentlemen  setting  a  foot  into  a  keg  of 
sugar,  and  into  a  firkin  of  butter. 

"  I  stood  on  deck  an  hour.  The  wind  blew  fiercely, 
with  rain,  hail,  and  snow.  All  the  sails  were  furled ;  our 
cooking  furnace  was  broken  to  pieces;  the  noise  in  the 
rigging  was  so  great  that  speaking  trumpets  were  used 
to  make  communications  from  one  part  of  the  deck  to 
another.  Most  of  our  missionary  company  were  dread- 
fully sick.  The  external  seemed  to  cause  internal  com- 
motion. I  believe  I  was  the  only  one  who  had  entirely 
recovered  from  seasickness.  The  vessel  still  groans  so 
much  at  every  lurch  that  Dr.  Chapin  wishes  it  had  more 
oil  in  its  joints,  to  keep  it  quiet. 

"  Wednesday  evening. — The  storm  has  so  much 
abated  that  we  have  the  sails  spread  again,  the  trunks 
arranged  and  lashed  in  the  cabin,  so  that  we  sit  around 
the  table  with  comparative  quiet  and  decency. 


24  MEMOIR  OF 

"  December  i. — This  morning,  when  I  went  on  deck,  I 
found  a  number  of  ladies  taking  the  fresh  air.  One  of 
them,  Mrs.  Lyons,  fainted,  and  after  she  had  been 
revived,  through  Dr.  Chapin's  ministrations,  I  carried  her 
down  into  the  cabin. 

"December  2. — Mary  A.,  who  had  been  sick  several 
days  after  seasickness,  was  able  for  the  first  time  to  come 
on  deck.  .  .  .  This  evening  we  agreed  to  have 
family  prayers  at  7  A.  M.  and  7  P.  M.,  that  we  preside  at 
prayers  and  at  the  table  alphabetically  a  week  at  a  time, 
and  in  retrograde  order  preach  on  the  Sabbath  at 
ten  A.  M.     .     .     . 

"December  j. — The  weather  is  becoming  more  pleas- 
ant; the  sun  has  burst  through  the  long-intercepting 
clouds;  the  fierce  wind  has  fallen  to  a  pleasant  breeze; 
our  noble  ship  moves  majes  ically  at  eight  miles  an  hour. 
The  evening  was  so  favorable  that  for  the  first  time  we 
had  prayers  on  deck;  we  sang  half  an  hour,  the  rolling 
ocean  dashing  against  the  ship,  making  an  impressive 
accompaniment. 

"  On  the  swelling  Atlantic.  The  weather  is  still  de- 
lightful. ...  At  5  o'clock  A.  M.  one  of  our  number 
announces  that  it  is  time  to  rise.  At  7  o'clock,  morning 
and  evening,  when  the  watch-bell  strikes,  we  assemble 
on  the  quarter  deck,  read  a  portion  of  Scripture,  sing, 
and  unite  in  prayer.  At  these  times,  when  the  sun  first 
tinges  the  Eastern  horizon,  or  when  night  has  begun  to 
spread  her  dark  mantle  over  the  waters,  the  exercises 
are  very  delightful.  .  .  .  The  ladies  begin  to  fly 
about    like   birds  in   the  spring.  .     .     To-day,  with 

much  ado,  they  made  us  a  pudding  for  dinner,  and  a  pic 
for  supper. 

"  December  9. — Unwell,  had  a  severe  chill 


REV.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  25 

" December  22. — Since  the  last  date  I  have  been  too 
sick  to  write;  and  now  I  write  on  my  bed.  I  have  suf- 
fered what  the  doctor  calls  an  attack  of  intermittent 
fever.  .  .  .  Being  within  ten  degrees  of  the  equator, 
and  in  a  close  state-room,  a  burning  fever  was  peculiarly 
trying.  Alleviations:  A  most  kind,  attentive  wife,  always 
at  my  side;  good  steward;  kind  captain,  who  had  a  pas- 
sage for  air  cut  in  my  room  and  also  air-sails  let  down 
from  the  deck;  and  especially  the  consolations  of  the 
gospel.  I  have  had  more  communion  with  God  during 
this  sickness  than  all  the  voyage  besides. 

"  December  29. — It  has  been  a  week  since  I  wrote.  I 
have  not  felt  able  to  write  during  that  period.  Several 
things  of  interest  have  occurred.  Thursday  evening 
last  they  caught  a  porpoise,  from  which  one  gallon  of 
oil  was  extracted.  Its  meat  was  brought  to  our  table 
four  or  five  times.     Most  of  the  company  relished  it. 

"On  Saturday,  to  our  great  satisfaction,  a  school  of 
whales  was  discovered.  We  had  been  destitute  of  oil 
ever  since  the  storm,  and  had  used  butter  and  lard 
instead  for  our  lamps.  Four  boats  were  manned  and 
sent  off  in  pursuit  of  the  whales.  They  caught  two  and 
brought  them  alongside.  With  long  lances  they  cut 
them  to  pieces,  taking  off  the  blubber,  which  is  from 
three  to  six  inches  thick,  and  the  whole  head,  which  is 
filled  with  choice  sperm.  During  the  process  many 
sharks  appeared.  The  captain  struck  his  lance  through 
the  head  of  one,  which  was  then  brought  on  deck. 
Dr.  Chapin  took  out  its  teeth;  some  of  the  brethren 
took  part  of  the  skin  to  use  instead  of  sandpaper.  .  .  . 
The  blubber  was  cut  into  small  pieces  and  thrown  into  a 
boiler,  and  tried  out.  .  .  .  About  forty  barrels  of 
oil  were  obtained  from   the  two  whale-;.     On    Sabbath 


26  MEMOIR    OF 

Captain  Swain  caught  a  mess  of  albicore.  The  brethren 
thought  it  right  to  eat  what  was  set  before  them,  asking 
no  questions  for  conscience'  sake. 

"January  p,  1832. — The  foremast  has  been  discovered 
to  be  rotten,  on  which  account  it  was  resolved,  last  Sat- 
urday, that  we  go  direct  to  Rio  Janeiro,  and  there  get  a 
new  mast.  We  will  be  detained  in  our  voyage  about 
two  weeks,  but  we  can  get  many  things  much  needed  for 
our  comfort. 

"  Had  a  long  conversation  with  Captain  Swain  this 
afternoon.  He  is  as  amiable  as  the  young  man  told  of 
in  the  gospels,  whom  Jesus  loved;  yet  he  is  of  a  rather 
skeptical  turn  of  mind.  I  trust  that  the  Lord  will  yet 
open  his  eyes.  We  expect  to  see  land  to-morrow  morn- 
ing. 

"January  13. — This  morning,  as  soon  as  I  awoke,  I 
heard  that  land  was  in  view.  I  came  on  deck  and  saw 
the  joyful  sight.  The  hills  of  Cape  St.  Thomas  were 
well  defined  twenty  miles  distant.  A  fishing  sloop 
being  in  view,  and  the  wind  having  fallen  to  a  dead  calm, 
a  boat  was  manned  and  dispatched  to  make  several 
inquiries  of  her,  and  to  obtain  fruit.  Three  of  our  com- 
pany, Brethren  Emerson,  Rogers,  and  Chapin,  went  in 
the  boat.  The  vessel  was  five  miles  distant.  After 
hard  rowing,  they  returned  with  some  bananas  and 
plantains.  None  of  the  former  were  ripe ;  such  of  the 
latter  as  were  ripe  were  to  me  very  unpalatable.  They 
also  brought  with  them  a  number  of  fish,  rockfish,  cod- 
fish, fire-eater,  and  skup.  We  are  now  expecting  a  fine 
dinner. 

"  Saturday,  January  ij.. — The  whole  forenoon  was 
spent  admiring  and  sketching  South  American  scenery. 
We  were  coasting  north  of  Cape  Frio.     The  view  of  the 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  27 

high  ridges  of  land,  on  three  of  which  lines  of  white 
rocks  extended,  with  singular  effect,  to  the  summits, 
was  truly  grand.  Soon  after  we  passed  within  five  miles 
of  an  island,  on  which,  with  a  spy-glass,  we  could  dis- 
tinctly see  trees.  The  surf  raging  against  the  whole 
extent  of  the  coast  was  very  picturesque.  After  seeing 
nothing  but  ocean  for  seven  weeks,  the  sight  of  land  is 
very  delightful. 

"  Harbor  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  January  16. — Yesterday 
morning,  passing  high  mountains  and  hills  wildly  piled 
together  on  either  side,  we  entered  this  delightful  harbor. 
The  rude  magnificence  of  the  lofty  peaks,  covered  with 
tropical  vegetation,  beggars  description.  .  .  .  To-day 
Dr.  Chapin  and  Brother  Armstrong  went  ashore,  and 
ascertained  that  we  could  not  get  board  for  less  than 
$8.00  per  week;  we  therefore  expect  to  live  on  board  the 
ship  while  here. 

"January  18. — Yesterday  our  whole  company  went 
on  shore  and  explored  the  city  of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  .  .  . 
We  were  much  impressed  with  the  degradation  of  the 
slaves.  The  city  is  said  to  have  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  inhabitants,  one  hundred  thousand  of  whom 
are  slaves.  Every  street  swarms  with  droves  of  them, 
two-thirds  naked,  carrying  burdens  on  their  heads,  or 
pulling  heavy  drays,  driven  in  companies,  bound  together 
with  chains,  the  links  of  which  are  half  an  inch  in 
diameter,  and  eight  inches  long,  and  which  pass  around 
their  necks.  They  were  usually  yelling  a  sort  of  song, 
to  keep  step.  Military  officers  are  seen  at  every  turn. 
On  almost  everything  is  inscribed  the  mark  of  the 
Roman  beast. 

"At  the  street  corners  and  in  the  markets  are  abund- 
ance   of    tropical     fruits,   bananas,    plantains,    oranges, 


28  MEMOIR    OF 

limes,  cocoanuts,  melons,  peaches,  etc.,  with  confection- 
ery. The  Portuguese  ladies  are  kept  secluded,  by  the 
jealousy  of  their  husbands.  When  they  go  abroad  they 
ride  in  palanquins,  or  close  carriages.  For  this  reason 
the  nine  ladies  in  our  company  were  observed  with 
much  curiosity.  While  I  was  engaged  in  shopping, 
Mary  A.  and  others  of  our  company  took  a  delightful 
ramble  to  the  top  of  a  high  hill.  We  dined  at  the 
tavern  of  Mrs.  Johnstone.  We  then  visited  a  garden, 
where  we  saw  bread-fruit,  coffee,  lemons,  oranges,  plan- 
tains, etc.,  growing  in  their  native  luxuriance.  At  six 
o'clock  we  returned  to  the  ship,  fatigued,  but  gratified 
with  our  visit. 

"  This  morning  I  again  visited  the  city.  With  Breth- 
ren Armstrong  and  Rogers  I  ascended  the  hill,  five  hun- 
dred feet  high,  on  which  the  telegraph  signal  is  placed, 
from  which  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  city  of  tile-cov- 
ered houses.  We  visited  the  Convent  of  St.  Antonio,  in 
the  garden  of  which  is  a  cistern  of  holy  water,  that  was 
foul  and  stagnant.  We  were  taken  into  several  rooms, 
ornamented  with  carved  and  gilt  representations  of 
saints  and  angels,  splendid  monuments  of  superstition 
and  folly.  .  .  .  Saturday  we  visited  the  museum. 
It  excels  in  ornithology,  mineralogy,  and  specimens  of 
insects,  and  contains  fifty  Egyptain  mummies.  .  .  . 
Sabbath,  escorted  by  four  captains  in  their  respective 
boats,  and  one  Portuguese  boat  sent  by  Mr.  Kerr,  of 
Botofogo,  we  went  to  the  Tuscaloosa,  Captain  Chase,  of 
Baltimore,  where  the  Bethel  flag  was  waving.  I 
preached  to  a  most  interesting  audience.  Our  observa- 
tion of  the  city  greatly  impresses  us  with  the  fact  that 
it  is  missionary  ground.  The  people  are  ignorant,  su- 
perstitious, and  vile.  Oh  !  when  shall  the  true  light  of 
the  gospel  prevail  here? 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  29 

"Saturday,  February  11.  —  Last  Saturday,  the  4th 
inst,  we  resumed  our  voyage.  The  numerous  formali- 
ties through  which  Captain  Swain  was  obliged  to  pass 
before  he  was  allowed  to  sail,  were  very  vexatious.  All 
things  were  supposed  to  be  in  readiness  on  the  Friday 
previous,  and  we  hoisted  sail  early,  but  were  soon  visited 
by  an  officer  of  Government  and  informed  that  we 
could  not  proceed  till  each  of  the  passengers  had 
obtained  passports.  With  a  fine  breeze  we  glided  out 
of  the  harbor  delightfully.  A  few  of  the  company 
became  seasick. 

"  February  13. — Multitudes  of  Mother  Carey's  chickens, 
haylets,  and  albatrosses  around  us.  Brother  Spaulding 
caught  an  albatross,  which  measured  nine  feet  from  tip 
to  tip  of  the  wings — a  beautiful  bird.  The  circumstances 
of  its  capture  were  written  on  a  thin  board,  fastened  to 
its  neck,  and  it  was  then  set  at  liberty. 

".  .  .  .A  violent  storm!  We  cannot  sit  at  table 
without  holding  on.     .     .     . 

"  February  20. — The  sea  rougher  than  before  since  we 
started.  The  water  broke  in  under  the  dead-lights,  and 
into  our  berth,  soaking  through  both  mattresses. 

"  March  2. — Yesterday  we  overtook  a  vessel,  which 
we  had  seen  ahead  more  than  a  week,  and  passed  her  in 
speaking  distance,  the  Friendship,  of  Fairhaven,  eighty- 
two  days  at  sea,  bound  on  a  whaling  expedition.     .    .    . 

'"False  as  the  smooth,  deceitful  sea.'  Yesterday 
morning  the  ocean  was  as  smooth  as  a  lake,  and  when 
we  retired  last  night  all  was  quiet,  the  vessel  almost 
motionless,  but  before  midnight  the  fiercest  storm  we 
have  yet  witnessed  arose.  The  vessel  labored  hard  over 
the  mountain  waves,  her  timbers  groaning,  and  her 
whole  frame  trembling,  and  the  cabin  was   thrown  into 


30  MEMOIR    OF 

great  confusion.     .     .     .     But  tossed  and    rolling  thus 
how  sweet  to  feel  that  Jehovah  is  our  God  and  refuge. 

"This  morning  a  heavy  shower  of  rain  and  hail  fell 
and  the  air  was  very  cold.  We  set  up  a  stove,  but  were 
almost  suffocated  by  the  smoke,  and  took  it  down.  This 
afternoon  the  storm  is  abating. 

"  March  ./. — This  morning  going  on  deck  at  5  o'clock, 
I  heard  the  cry  of,  "Land-ho."  It  was  the  rough  heights 
of  Terra  del  Fuego,  forty  miles  distant.  Soon  after  we 
came  in  sight  of  Staten  Island,  more  rugged  than  the 
former,  its  mountain-tops  covered  with  snow,  though  it 
is  now  here  the  month  of  autumn,  the  thermometer  at 
42  degrees  Fahr. 

"March  6. — This  morning  it  snowed  rapidly;  now  the 
deck  rattles  with  rain  and  hail. 

''March  8. — We  have  three  studding-sails  set,  an  un- 
usual thing  off  Cape  Horn.  On  Tuesday  night  last  an 
incident  occurred  which  we  all  greatly  regret.  The 
captain's  chronometer  stopped.  We  must  henceforth 
find  our  longitude  by  our  watches,  and  by  lunar  obser- 
vations. 

"March  12. — Yesterday  we  entered  the  Pacific;  Brother 
Forbes  preached  in  the  cabin.  I  met  a  number  of  sailors, 
and  read  with  them  the  first  part  of  the  sixth  chapter  of 
Matthew,  and  conversed  freely  with  them.  Most  of  them 
are  Universalists.  .  .  .  The  Spirit  of  God  can  make 
even  these  hardy  sailors  new  creatures. 

"To-day  the  Friendship  sent  a  boat  to  our  ship  for  oil. 
It  was  interesting,  on  the  trackless  waters  of  the  great 
Southern  ocean,  for  Brethren  Emerson  and  Spaulding  to 
meet,  as  they  did,  an  old  acquaintance,  a  pious  man,  in 
this  boat. 

"March  9. — Strong  winds  and  high  sea;  everything 


REV.    WM.   P.  ALEXANDER.  31 

not  made  fast  fetching  away;  Mary  A.  again  seasick 
and  distressed  with  toothache.  The  vessel  rocks  too 
violently  for  me  to  write  more. 

"  March  20.— We  now  move  like  a  race  horse,  nine  and 
a,half  miles  per  hour.  .  .  .  Mary  A.  collected  cour- 
age enough  to  take  a  scat  at  the  lee  side  of  the  ship, 
while  Dr.  Chapin  applied  cold  steel  to  the  tooth  which 
troubled  her  yesterday.  Brother  Armstrong  held  the 
light,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  important  work  was 
done.     .     . 

''March  26. — I  begin  to  realize  that  I  am  far  from  the 
land  of  my  birth.  Having  traversed  more  than  9,000 
miles  on  the  mighty  deep,  I  find  myself  smoothly  glid- 
ing over  the  waters  of  the  Pacific.  But  though  friends 
are  distant,  God  is  near;  his  love  and  protection  unceas- 
ingly hover  over  us.  Those  in  our  company  who  have 
been  brought  low  with  sickness  begin  to  recover, — Sisters 
Spaulding,  Emerson,  and  Chapin.  The  weather  is  almost 
enchanting,  thermometer  at  60  degrees  Fahr. 
Yesterday  I  preached  in  the  cabin,  from  Romans  1  :  16: 
T  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.'  In  the  eve- 
ning we  had  conference  on  the  best  method  to  fasten 
truth  on  the  mind  of  a  Universalist.  The  captain  seemed 
affected  by  the  remarks.  If  it  were  not  for  brandy  I 
would  have  some  hopes  for  him. 

"March  2<p. — Just  before  dinner  the  unexpected  cry  of 
'  Land-ho'  was  heard  on  deck,  and  repeated  in  the  cabin. 
It  was  ascertained  that  Massa  Fuero,  a  high  island,  un- 
inhabited, except  by  a  few  fishermen  who  visit  it  occa- 
sionally to  catch  seals,  was  thirty  miles  distant.  We  are 
now  steering  for  Juan  Fernandez,  the  famous  residence 
of  Alexander  Selkirk,  alias  Robinson  Crusoe,  on  which 
we  hope  to  place  our  feet    to-morrow  morning.     With 


32  MEMOIR   OF 

the  known  longitude  of  Massa  Fuero,  we  have  corrected 
our  watches  for  Greenwich  time. 

"  March  30. — Owing  to  the  darkness  last  night  we  lay 
to,  not  willing  to  risk  the  danger  of  running  ashore.  The 
land  is  five  miles  distant,  very  bold  and  rugged.  At 
daybreak  we  descried  a  ship,  and  within  an  hour  came 
within  speaking  distance,  and  found  her  to  be  the  Friend- 
ship, which  we  had  seen  off  Cape  Horn. 

".  .  .  Monday,  April  2.  —  Last  Saturday  I  returned 
to  the  ship  from  a  visit  to  the  fairy  isle  of  Juan  Fernan- 
dez, so  fatigued  that  I  could  not  write  notes  of  my  jaunt. 
An  hour  and  a  half  before  dawn  a  boat  was  lowered,  in 
which  Captain  Swain  and  Brother  Spaulding  and  Dr. 
Chapin  went  ashore.  At  eleven  A.  M.  the  boat  returned 
for  some  articles  for  trading.  In  this  and  another  boat 
all  the  remaining  gentlemen  of  our  company  went 
ashore.  We  had  a  long  pull  of  seven  miles.  As  we  ap- 
proached the  shore,  the  scenery  of  the  lofty  hills,  two 
thousand  feet  high,  was  wild  and  picturesque.  The  hills 
are  composed  of  trap,  greenstone,  and  basalt,  in  every 
stage  of  decomposition.  We  landed  in  a  little  village, 
the  seat  of  the  empire,  consisting  of  twenty-five  thatched 
houses  covered  with  bamboo  canes,  and  thirteen  caves. 
A  company  of  human  beings,  seeming  half  savage,  met 
us,  and  eyed  us  with  much  curiosity.  At  length  an 
Englishman,  Thomas,  who  is  employed  here  forcatching 
seals,  asked  whether  we  wished  to  see  Captain  Swain, 
and  informed  us  that  we  would  find  him  upstairs  in  'the 
big  house,'  to  which  we  accordingly  repaired.  A  man 
genteelly  dressed  met  us  at  the  door,  who  we  afterwards 
learned  was  a  convict,  sent  from  Chili,  for  treason. 
With  his  guidance  we  ascended  the  stairs,  with  baskets 
on  our  arms,  which  we  had  brought  for  gathering  curiosi- 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  33 

ties,  and  were  heartily  welcomed  by  the  governor,  who 
informed  us  that  he  was  king  of  the  island,  that  he  was 
happy  to  see  us,  and  that  he  would  be  very  much  grati- 
fied if  we  would  bring  our  wives  ashore,  and  remain 
with  him  several  weeks.  By  invitation  we  dined  with 
him  on  bread,  butter,  cheese,  ham,  fried  eggs,  and  let- 
tuce. His  majesty  accompanied  us  to  the  caves,  him- 
self leading  the  way  into  their  dismal  apartments.  They 
arc  dug  into  the  hill  behind  the  village  in  two  tiers,  three 
in  the  lower  and  ten  in  the  upper  tier,  and  are  one  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  feet  in  length.  In  one  of  the  upper  cav- 
erns we  found  a  blacksmith  at  work  with  rude  sledges, 
anvil,  and  bellows  and  over  his  furnace  a  cross.  In  the 
far  end  of  another  we  found  a  pulpit  with  a  golden  cross. 
This  den,  his  majesty  informed  us,  was  'templum  sacrum,' 
These  caves  are  a  penitentiary  for  convicts  from  Chili. 
I  could  not  but  be  amused  at  the  ludicrous  royalty  which 
Josef  Lacrier,  the  governor,  displayed.  He  furnished  us 
with  a  guide,  who  conducted  us  up  a  ravine,  covered 
with  brakes,  spearmint,  rue  and  balm,  to  the  summit  of 
a  hill.  Here  Selkirk  could  have  exclaimed,  'I  am 
monarch  of  all  I  survey.'  At  about  sunset  we  returned 
to  the  ship,  taking  small  supplies  of  beans,  potatoes, 
peaches,  and  a  few  fowls  and  eggs.  Potatoes  cost  $4.00 
per  bushel.  There  are  three  hundred  and  eighhty-six 
inhabitants  on  the  island,  of  whom  two  are  officers,  forty- 
six  soldiers,  seventy-three  females,  wives  of  soldiers,  one 
hundred  and  five  convicts,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty 

freemen,  farmers This  is   truly  a  romantic 

island.     But,  like  Rio  Janeiro,  it  is  the  seat  of  Satan. 

"  April  p. — For  a  number  of  days  the  trade-winds  have 
borne  us  forward  six  or  eight  miles  an  hour,  and  yet  so 
quietly  that,  seated   in  the  cabin,   we   can  scarcely   per- 


34  MEMOIR    OF 

ceive  that  the  ship  is  in  motion.  Two  days  ago  we 
entered  the  Torrid  Zone,  in  which  all  our  company 
expect  to  lay  their  bones.  Though  my  faith  is  weak 
and  heart  hard,  I  rejoice  that  I  am  drawing  near  the 
field  of  labor,  and,  oh,  that  I  may  prove  faithful  unto 
the  end! 

"  .  .  .  .  April  ij. — The  wind  has  blown  so  stead- 
ily for  five  or  six  days  that  the  situation  of  no  sail  has 
been  altered;  the  thermometer  in  the  cabin  at  78  Fahr.; 
the  sick  almost  well;  the  well  almost  sick  with  heat;  many 
flying-fish  seen;  all  the  crew  tarring  the  rigging.     .     .     . 

"  May  3. — Two  days  ago  the  northeast  trades  took  us, 
and  since  that  time  we  have  been  borne  forward  on  the 
wings  of  the  wind,  eight  or  ten  miles  per  hour,  with  fre- 
quent squalls  of  rain.  .  .  .  Writing-desks  are  in 
great  requisition  for  preparing  letters  to  send  to  America, 
after  we  land.  .  .  .  Tropical  birds,  perfectly  white, 
with  a  single  long  feather  for  a  tail,  often  flutter  over  the 
mast,  uttering  a  hoarse  note  like  that  of  a  wild  goose. 
.  •.  .  At  a  business  meeting  Brother  Spaulding  was 
appointed  to  write  a  letter  to  the  Board,  and  I  to  write 
one  expressing  our  thanks  to  the  captain. 

"  Tuesday,  May  75.— -Within  two  days'  sail  of  Oahu,  if 
our  calculation  of  longitude  is  correct.  I  can  hardly 
realize  that  I  am  so  soon  to  be  in  the  midst  of  heathen, 
amongst  whom  I  am  to  spend  my  life.  To-day  I  have 
been  very  busy  setting  things  in  order  for  landing. 
Last  Sabbath  Brother  Emerson  preached  an  excellent 
sermon  from  the  text,  '  Ho,  everyone  that  thirsteth.'  Yes- 
terday evening  Brother  Emerson,  Spaulding  and  I  went 
forward  and  conversed  long  with  the  seamen,  relative  to 
the  temptations  to  which  they  will  be  exposed  in  enter- 
ing  port,  and  persuaded  most  of  them  to  sign  a  pledge 


REV.    WM.  P.  A  LUX  A  XI)  UK.  35 

to  refrain  from  drunkenness  and  vice.     Wc  were  aston- 
ished  and  delighted  at  our  success. 

"Wednesday,  May  16. — This  morning  at  ten  o'clock 
the  lofty  heights  of  Maui  appeared  before  us  in  distant 
splendor.  Soon  after  Molokai  was  seen.  We  sailed 
along  the  whole  length  of  Molokai  within  five  to  ten 
miles  of  the  shore,  when  just  betore  us,  we  descried  the 
lofty  highlands  of  Oahu.  Now  at  a  distance  of  twenty 
miles  from  Oahu,  the  ship  is  '  hove  to  '  for  the  night. 
The  Lord  has  greatly  prospered  us  and  blessed  be  his 
name.  Oh,  that  entering  on  our  labors  in  his  strength, 
we  may  be  made  wise  to  win  souls!" 


C  H  A  P  T  E  R  IV. 

ARRIVAL  AT   THE    HAWAIIAN   ISLANDS. 

a  TTONOLULU,  Friday,  May  iS,  z$j2.—Yester- 
•*■  *■  day  morning'  at  clay-break  I  found  the  island, 
Oahu,  but  a  few  miles  distant.  With  a  favorable  wind, 
we  rounded  Diamond  Head,  and  cast  anchor  in  the 
outer  harbor,  before  eight  o'clock  A.  M.  'The  town  looked 
like  a  city  of  hay-stacks;  only  grass  houses  were  to  be 
seen;  I  believe  there  were  one  or  two  frame  houses' 
Soon  we  were  surrounded  by  natives  in  their  canoes, 
bringing  milk  and  eggs  for  sale,  some  of  them  altogether 
naked,  except  the  malo.  The  scenes  of  Rio  de  Janeiro 
had  prepared  me  in  some  measure  for  such  a  spectacle; 
still  the  appearance  of  the  natives  was  shocking;  at  the 
first  sight  the  ladies  shrunk  away,  and  hastened  to  the 
cabin. 

"  Very  soon  we  received  a  hearty  welcome  from 
Brethren  Clark,  Dibble,  Green,  Ruggles,  and  Whitney. 
They  brought  us  some  of  the  best  water-melons  I  have 
ever  tasted.  At  ten  o'clock  we  came  ashore.  The 
wharf  was  covered  with  thousands  of  natives,  whom 
curiosity  and  affection  had  brought  to  see  us.  Some  of 
the  ladies,  who  were  ill,  were  conveyed  to  the  house  of 
Mr.  Chamberlain,  on  a  cart  drawn  by  natives.  Mrs. 
Emerson  has  related  that '  the  old  mission  wagon  was  in 
waiting  at  the  beach,  and  Mrs.  Armstrong  and  I  entered 
it.  We  were  drawn  by  a  team  of  native  men,  pulling 
(36) 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEX  AX  PER.  37 

and  pushing.  This  method  of  riding  seemed  so  comical 
that  I  could  not  suppress  a  laugh,  but  looking  about  and 
seeing  the  grave  faces  of  Messrs.  Bingham  and  Whitney, 
I  perceived  that  they  saw  nothing  unusual,  and  con- 
cluded it  was  time  to  put  on  my  customary  sober  face.' 
Those  of  us  who  walked  were  followed  by  crowds 
anxiously  pressing  before  each  other,  to  give  us  the  cus- 
tomary  salutation,  'Aloha! 

"  All  of  us  having  assembled  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Chamberlain,  together  with  all  the  old  missionary 
brethren  and  sisters  who  were  at  this  station,  for  the 
annual  general  meeting,  Mr.  Bingham  read  the  gen- 
eral letter  from  the  Board  to  the  mission,  after  which  we 
united  in  singing  the  hymn  beginning,  '  Kindred  and 
friends,  for  Christ's  dear  sake  a  hearty  welcome  you 
receive,'  when  we  knelt  together  and  Mr.  Bingham  led 
in  offering  thanksgiving  and  praise  for  our  preservation 
during  the  voyage  and  safe  arrival  here.  It  was  a  truly 
affecting  interview,  a  company  composed  of  old  soldiers 
who  have  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day,  and 
nineteen  others  who  are  just  buckling  on  the  armor. 

"  Immediately  after  the  meeting,  we  were  distributed 
among  the  various  mission  families  who  reside  here. 
Mary  A.  and  myself  were  comfortably  lodged  in  an  airy, 
commodious   upper  room  of    Mr.  Chamberlain's  house. 

"  Saturday,  May  19. — We  were  introduced  to  the 
young  king  to-day  (not  yet  king,  for  there  was  a  regent). 
He  received  us  very  politely,  welcomed  us  to  the 
Hawaiian  shores,  acknowledged  the  great  good  the 
nation  had  received  from  missionary  labors,  and  ex- 
pressed great  pleasure  at  the  increase  of  their  numbers. 
A  short  address  made  to  him  in  the  name  of  the  newly- 
arrived  missionaries   was  interpreted  to  him  by  Brother 


38  MEMOIR    OF 

Bingham."  "Then  accompanied  by  the  king  and  his 
chiefs  we  walked  to  the  house  of  Kaahumanu.  the 
queen  regent  of  the  islands,  formerly  a  favorite  wife  of 
Kamchameha  I.  She  was  occupying  a  large  grass 
house  partitioned  into  two  rooms  by  a  calico  curtain. 
She  sat  in  a  large  woodsn  arm-chair,  attended  by  two 
maids  of  honor  wielding  kahilis.  She  was  dressed  in 
an  unbleached  cotton  gown,  and  wore  a  wreath  of  pan- 
danus  fruit  around  her  neck."  (Mrs.  Armstrong's 
sketches.)  "She  received  us  with  tears  of  joy.  She  was 
very  ill  and  unable  to  speak  much;  we  therefore  soon 
withdrew. 

"  In  consideration  of  the  kindness  of  Captain  Swain, 
I  handed  him  to-day  the  following  letter,  which  I  had 
prepared  at  the  request  of  the  company:— 

"Honolulu,  May  17,  1832. 
"  Capt.  Edward  Swain:  When  on  the  26th  of 
November,  we  saw  the  last  wave  of  the  hat  on 
the  shores  of  New  Bedford,  we  felt  emotions  which 
none  but  friends  can  feel.  An  occasion  is  at  hand 
adapted  to  excite  similar  emotions.  Soon,  dear  sir, 
we  must  bid  you  farewell;  and  we  should  do  violence 
to  our  feelings  did  we  not  make  some  expression  of 
gratitude  for  the  many  favors  you  have  conferred  upon 
us  during  a  long  and  perilous  voyage.  Merely  to  say 
that  you  have  always  treated  us  with  kindness  and 
respect,  would  be  doing  you  injustice.  The  watchful 
solicitude  of  a  parent  or  brother  has  been  the  uniform 
characteristic  of  your  conduct  towards  us.  When  the 
raging  storm  has  thrown  everything  into  confusion,  your 
voice  has  quickly  cheered  us,  your  hand  has  restored 
order,  and  with  watchful  anxiety  you  have  sought  out 
and  anticipated  our  wants.  When  we  have  been  brought 
low  with  sickness,  you  have  spared  no  effort  which 
tender  kindness  could  suggest,  to  make  our  situation 
pleasant.     Whether  in  the  storm  or  when   the  cheering 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  39 

breeze  has  borne  us  pleasantly  along,  whether  at  sea  or 
in  port,  your  amiable,  frank,  generous  deportment  to- 
wards us  has  been  the  same.  It  gives  us  pleasure  to 
make  these  acknowledgments;  and  we  trust  the  God 
whom  we  serve  will  abundantly  reward  you. 

"Please  present  to  the  other  officers  our  unfeigned 
thanks  for  the  numerous  acts  of  kindness  they  have 
conferred  upon  us.  And  should  a  few  more  days  close 
our  intercourse  on  earth,  oh,  sir,  let  us  labor  to  become 
fellow-heirs  of  that  rich  inheritance  laid  up  in  Heaven 
for  those  who  love  God.  The  close  of  our  voyage 
reminds  us  that  the  voyage  of  life  will  soon  be  over,  and 
whatever  amiability  of  character  we  may  here  possess, 
and  however  large  a  portion  of  social  bliss  we  may  here 
enjoy,  we  are  sure  that  none  will  then  be  safe  except  those 
who  have  fled  to  the  Lord  Jesus  for  refuge.  Let  us 
therefore  seek  above  all  things  to  have  Christ  Jesus  for 
our  pilot,  that  we  may  make  the  same  happy  port. 
Wherever  you  go  our  affections  shall  follow  you,  and  our 
prayer  shall  be,  that  He  who  neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps, 
who  has  preserved  us  amid  dangers,  and  given  us  a 
prosperous  voyage,  may  still  be  with  you,  and  make  you 
a  partaker  of  his  great  salvation.  Then  you  will  be  able 
to  say  with  the  poet: — ■ 

"  '  Tossed  upon  life's  raging  billow, 
Sweet  it  is,  O  Lord,  to  know 
Thou  didst  press  a  sailor's  pillow, 

And  canst  feel  a  sailor's  woe; 
Never  slumbering,  never  sleeping, 

Though  the  night  be  dark  and  drear, 
Thou  the  faithful  watch  art  keeping, 
"All,  all's  well,"  thy  constant  cheer.' 

"Most  affectionately  yours." 
It  was  signed  by  all  the  brethren    and  sisters    of  the 
company. 

"  Sabbath,  May  20. — At  half  past  nine  A.  M.  attended 
native  service;  more  than  four  thousand  hearers.  Mr. 
Bingham  preached.     The   services  were  held  in  an  im- 


4o  MEMOIR    OF 

mcnse  thatched  house.  There  was  a  box-like  pulpit 
perched  upon  one  side  in  the  middle  of  the  house,  and  a 
few  rude  benches  on  which  the  teachers  and  chiefs  sat ; 
nearly  all  the  congregation  sat  upon  the  floor,  which  had 
been  strewed  with  rushes  for  the  purpose.  At  eleven 
A.  M.  I  preached  in  English. 

" June  j". — At  four  o'clock  this  morning  Kaahumanu, 
the  queen  regent,  died  in  the  Valley  of  Manca,  whither 
she  had  been  carried  a  few  days  before  with  the  hope 
that  the  coolness  of  the  situation  would  benefit  her 
health.  In  her  the  natives  have  lost  a  chief  magistrate 
in  whom  they  justly  confided,  and  whom  they  ardently 
loved.  The  mission  has  lost  a  mother,  a  judicious 
counselor,  and  a  firm,  unshaken  supporter;  but  Heaven 
has  received  a  soul  cleansed  by  the  blood  of  Christ 
from  the  foulest  stains  of  heathenism,  infanticide,  and 
abominable  pollution.  She  was  the  first  native  convert 
on  the  island  of  Oahu." 


CHAPTE  R  V. 

THE    DEPUTATION    TO   THE   ENGLISH  MISSIONARIES  AT 

THE    SOCIETY  ISLANDS. 

SOON  after  his  arrival  at  Honolulu  Mr  Alexander 
was  appointed  to  go  with  Messrs.  Whitney  and 
Tinker  as  a  deputation  from  the  Hawaiian  Mission  to 
the  English  Mission  at  the  Society  Islands. 

The  object  of  this  deputation,  as  explained  by  Mr.  Alex- 
ander in  a  letter  to  Thos.  T.  Skillmann,  of  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  was  "to  confer  with  the  English  missionaries  of 
the  Society  and  Georgian  Islands  in  regard  to  the  Marque- 
sas, and  to  form  some  plan  of  co-operation  with  them  in 
sending  the  gospel  to  all  the  islands  and  shores  of  the 
Pacific,  and  also  to  learn  from  their  experience  in  mis- 
sionary labor  among  Polynesian  tribes  whatever  might 
be  useful  to  others  laboring  in  a  similar  field.  The  dep- 
utation was  also  to  visit  the  Marquesas  Islands,  and  if 
no  obstacle  existed,  to  take  such  preliminary  steps 
towards  establishing  a  mission  among  them  as  they 
should  judge  expedient.  Rev.  C.  S.  Stewart  had  visited 
the  Northern  Marquesas  in  July,  1829,  in  the  U.  S. 
J  'incomes,  and  arrived  in  America  in  the  summer  of 
1830.  The  deep  interest  he  felt,  and  the  exertions  he 
made,  decided  the  American  Board  to  commence  a  mis- 
sion there  as  soon  as  possible." 

They  sailed  from  Honolulu  July  18,  1832,  on  the 
schooner  Missionary  Packet,  which  had  been  chartered 

(41) 


42  MEMOIR  OF 

for  the  expedition.  They  were  accompanied  by  Tute,  a 
teacher  from  Huahine,  who  had  been  taken  to  Oahu  by 
Mr.  Ellis  in  1823. 

LETTER    OF      INTRODUCTION      GIVEN      TO     THE      DEPUTATION      TO     THE 
SOCIETY     ISLANDS. 

"Sandwich  Islands,  July  iS,  1S32. 

"  Dear  Brethren:  By  the  '  living  epistles,'  which  in  the  good  provi- 
dence of  God  we  are  allowed  to  send  you  as  our  beloved  fellow-laborers, 
you  will  receive  the  salutations  of  all  your  brethren  at  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  and  be  made  acquainted  with  our  state. 

"  You  will  permit  us,  therefore,  to  introduce  to  your  acquaintance  and 
to  your  Christian  fellowship,  our  brethren,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Whitney, 
Tinker  and  Alexander,  members  of  our  mission,  who,  in  compliance  with 
your  polite  invitation  and  our  own  long-cherished  wishes,  have  been  duly 
appointed  to  visit  your  stations  at  the  Society  and  Georgian  Islands,  and 
to  confer  with  you  on  the  state  of  the  islands  in  the  Pacific,  and  on  the 
methods  most  advisable  for  extending  the  kingdom  of  our  glorious  Re- 
deemer throughout  all  the  isles  and  shores  of  this  vast  ocean. 

"  In  view  of  the  wisdom,  zeal  and  success  with  which  you  have  so  long 
engaged  in  the  missionary  work,  your  extensive  acquaintanee  with  Polyne- 
sian tribes  and  Polynesian  character,  and  the  means  of  winning  them  to 
the  cause  of  Christ,  and  the  freedom,  candor  and  friendship  which  have 
hitherto  marked,  and  which,  we  trust,  will  continue  to  mark,  the  commu- 
nications between  you  and  us,  we  expect  to  derive  great  benefit  from  the 
results  of  your  experience  and  observation,  communicated  freely  to  our 
deputation,  and  from  such  information  as  you  will  be  able  to  give,  and  such 
views,  opinions  and  considerations  as  you  will  be  able  to  present,  individ- 
ually or  collectively,  on  any  and  every  part  of  the  great  subject  for  which, 
at  considerable  expense  and  sacrifice,  this  expedition  has  been  undertaken. 

"  Every  favor  will  be  thankfully  acknowledged  by  your  brethren  and 
fellow-laborers  in  the  service  of  our  common  Lord  and  Saviour, 
Jesus  Christ.  H.  Bingham, 

"  In  behalf  of  the  Mission." 

They  reached  the  Society  Islands  August  22,  and 
spent  four  weeks  among  them;  during  which  time  they 
visited  Raiatea,  Huahine,  Tahiti  and  Eimeo.  They  were 
received  with  the  utmost  cordiality  by  the  English  mis- 
sionaries, who  gave  them  much  valuable  information  and 
counsel.  From  a  brief  journal  kept  during  the  trip  and 
letters  to  Mr.  Skillmann  the  following  extracts  are 
taken: — 

"August  21,  1832. — Early  this  morning  we  were 
boarded  by  a  native  pilot,  and  conducted  into  the  harbor 


REV.    J  I'M.    1\    ALEXANDER.  43 

of  Utumaoro,  at  the  northeast  point  of  Raiatca.  Three 
green  islets  at  the  entrance  to  the  harbor  contribute 
much  to  the  beauty  of  the  scene.  On  one  side  was  the 
island  of  Raiatea,  completely  covered  with  verdure,  from 
the  sea  to  the  summits  of  the  mountains,  the  hibiscus 
and  other  shrubs  overhanging  the  salt  water  around  the 
harbor,  while  on  the  north  side,  beyond  a  large  lagoon, 
is  the  island  of  Tahaa,  on  which  we  could  discern  a 
chapel  near  the  shore.  We  landed  on  a  coral  wharf, 
constructed  by  Rev.  John  Williams,  and  were  soon  met 
by  Messrs.  Williams,  Piatt  and  Smith,  and  conducted  to 
the  mission  house,  where  we  united  in  thanksgiving  to 
God  for  the  privilege  of  meeting  under  such  circum- 
stances. .  .  .  Before  we  landed  we  had  been  much 
struck  with  the  dilapidated  appearance  of  the  houses, 
most  of  which  seemed  to  be  almost  in  ruins,  of  which 
we  now  learned  the  cause.  For  twelve  months  past  the 
people  of  this  island  and  Tahaa  have  been  engaged  in 
war  with  those  of  Bolabola  (northwest  of  Tahaa)." 

This  war  had  been  impending  for  ten  years,  and  at 
last,  in  spite  of  the  missionaries,  it  had  burst  forth,  in- 
volving the  inhabitants  of  three  islands,  and  sadly 
injuring  the  churches  by  arraying  the  church-members 
against  each  other.  "  Out  of  many  hundreds  who  had 
cheered  the  missionaries  as  Christian  converts  only  a  few 
could  now  be  received  to  Christian  fellowship.  The  final 
battle  had  been  fought  a  short  time  before  we  arrived. 
The  dilapidated  houses  and  uninclosed  gardens  gave 
evidence  of  the  fury  of  the  strife. 

"We  were  glad,  however,  to  find  the  rulers  making 
vigorous  efforts  to  restore  order.  The  day  before  we 
arrived  they  had  resolved  to  strike  at  the  root  of  the 
intemperance,  which   had   greatly   increased   during  the 


44  MEMOIR  OF 

war,  by  destroying  all  the  distilleries.  The  work  of 
destruction  had  advanced  so  far  that  all  the  large  distill- 
eries but  one  were  lying  in  ruins,  and  that  one  they  were 
pulling  down  when  we  arrived.  They  had  also  appointed 
persons  to  go  around  the  island,  and  break  all  the  stone 
pans  which  the  people  had  made  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
tilling. 

"We  had  an  interview  with  Tamatoa,  the  king,  and 
his  chiefs,  Mr.  Williams  acting  as  interpreter.  The  pal- 
ace was  a  miserable  hovel.  The  king  and  all  his  reti- 
nue, except  one  man,  were  dressed  in  native  costume. 
The  women  wore  bonnets,  but  tapa  clothing.  We 
presented  an  address  to  the  king  and  chiefs,  giving 
the  salutation  of  the  Hawaiian  chiefs,  and  exhorting 
them  to  be  steadfast  in  peace  and  firm  in  putting  down 
intemperance.  They  promised  to  attend  to  our  advice, 
and  professed  to  rejoice  in  our  arrival  as  a  sick  man  does 
when  he  sees  a  good  physician. 

"As  Mr.  Williams  is  about  to  make  a  tour  among  the 
out-stations  in  the  Hervey  and  Samoan  groups,  it  was 
judged  expedient  that  he  should  accompany  us  imme- 
diately to  Huahinc,  that  we  might  consult  with  him  and 
Mr.  Barff  together. 

"We  accordingly  weighed  anchor  at  two  o'clock  P.  M., 
and  having  a  very  favorable  westerly  wind,  we  found 
ourselves  after  three  hours'  sail  in  Fare  Harbor,  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Huahine,  twenty-two  miles  east  of 
Raiatca,  a  most  enchanting  harbor.  (See  Ellis,  Vol.  2, 
p.  249.)  Immediately  after  landing  we  were  accompa- 
nied by  Mr.  Williams  to  the  chapel  where  Mr.  Barff  was 
conducting  an  afternoon  service.  About  two  hundred 
people  were  assembled.  He  paused  on  our  entrance  un- 
til we  were  introduced  to  him  and  to  Mr.  Buzacott,  a 


REV.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  45 

missionary  from  Rarotonga.  He  soon  brought  the  serv- 
ices to  a  close,  and  we  were  animated  with  the  pecul- 
iarly lively  music  with  which  the  people  sang  the  clos- 
ing hymn,  to  one  of  the  old  fuguing  tunes. 

"  The  assembly  presented  a  neat  aspect,  seated  on 
benches.  Each  woman  wore  a  neat  bonnet  of  native 
manufacture,  and  a  web  of  white  tapa  constituted  the 
remaining  part  of  her  dress.  The  men  had  generally  a 
shirt  apiece,  and  in  addition  a  'purau'  of  native  cloth  or 
mat  around  the  loins. 

"  We  then  walked  with  the  brethren  to  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Barff,  where  we  were  very  kindly  received  by  his 
family.  They  occupied  a  whitewashed,  framed  house 
of  seven  rooms  built  of  native  timbers,  and  thatched 
with  lau  liala.  The  yard  was  full  of  sugar-cane,  and  con- 
tained twelve  large  bread-fruit  trees,  besides  limes,  coffee, 
etc. 

"The  object  of  our  visit  was  introduced,  and  we  con- 
versed till  after  twelve  o'clock.  The  brethren  here  at  the 
leeward  islands  never  interfere  with  the  affairs  of  those 
at  the  windward,  consequently  they  have  nothing  to  say 
about  the  Marquesas  Islands. 

"  August  2 y. — After  dinner  we  went  to  the  site  of  Mr. 
Ellis'  house,  and  saw  the  orange  and  coffee  trees  which 
he  planted.  His  residence  was  situated  far  up  a  most 
verdant  valley  watered  by  a  delightful  river.  We  saw 
many  bread-fruit  and  cocoanut  trees  lying  on  the  ground, 
which  we  learned  were  blown  down  by  a  gale  last  De- 
cember, which  also  demolished  the  school-house  here  and 
the  church  building  at  Raiatea. 

"Saturday,  August  2j. — This  is  the  Sabbath  here, and 
we  accordingly  observed  it  as  such.  (N.  B. — The  En- 
glish missionaries,  who  had    come    by    the  way  of  the 


46  MEMOIR  OF 

Cape  of  Good  Hope,  differed  a  day  in  reckoning  from 
the  Americans,  who  had  come  by  the  way  of  Cape 
Horn,  so  that  their  Sunday  came  on  our  Saturday.)  At 
nine  A.  M.  Mr.  Williams  preached  to  about  four  hundred 
hearers,  more  neatly  dressed,  as  a  whole,  than  congrega- 
tions at  Honolulu,  everyone  having  at  least  a  piece 
of  clean  white  native  cloth  thrown  around  him.  About 
a  dozen  men  and  two  women  were  dressed  in  European 
clothing.  Most  of  the  women  wore  bonnets,  and  most 
of  the  men  had  shirts. 

"After  this  service  Mr.  Tinker  preached  in  English  at 
Mr.  Barff's  house  from  the  text,  '  Lord,  remember  me 
when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom.'  (This  sermon  is 
published  in  'Life and  Sermons  of  Reuben  Tinker.')  In 
the  afternoon  I  attended  Sabbath-school. 

".  .  .  At  half  past  three  P.  M.  Mr.  Whitney 
preached  a  sermon  in  Tahitian,  which  he  had  prepared, 
with  Tute's  help,  during  the  voyage." 

"  The  exercises  of  the  Sabbath  are:  Prayer-meeting  at 
sunrise,  Sabbath-school  immediately  after  breakfast, 
Preaching  at  half  past  nine  A.  M.,  Sabbath-school  at 
two  P.  M.,  and  Preaching  again  at  three  P.  M.  But  when 
I  speak  of  a  Sabbath-school,  you  are  very  liable  to  mis- 
understand me,  for  you  will  at  once  think  of  a  Sabbath- 
school  in  Lexington  ;  but  they  have  little  resemblance 
except  in  name,  and  in  the  fact  that  religious  truth  is 
communicated  in  both.  To  have  a  just  notion  of  a 
Sabbath-school  in  the  South  Seas,  you  should  be  in- 
formed that  during  the  week  the  children  are  assembled 
every  morning  at  sunrise,  when  their  teacher  reads  por- 
tions of  Scripture  and  of  the  Catechism,  which  the  chil- 
dren with  one  voice  repeat  after  him  till  they  have  com- 
mitted it  to  memory.     The  amount  thus  learned  con- 


REV.    WM.   P.  ALEXANDER.  47 

stitutes  the  recitation  for  the  Sabbath-school;  in  addi- 
tion to  which  the  pastor  asks  the  children  some  ques- 
tions, and  gives  them  some  appropriate  instruction. 

"August  26. — Having  a  fair  wind  to  go  to  Tahiti,  at 
four  P.  M.  we  weighed  anchor,  being  accompanied  a  little 
way  by  Messrs.  Barff,  Williams  and  Buzacott,  who 
handed  us  a  farewell  letter. 

"August  2Q. — Early  in  the  morning  a  native  pilot 
boarded  us,  and  conducted  us  into  the  delightful  harbor 
of  Papeete  on  the  northwest  side  of  Tahiti.  We  re- 
ceived a  cordial  welcome  from  Mr.  Pritchard,  who,  with 
his  amiable  wife,  soon  made  us  feel  at  home.  .  .  . 
In  the  afternoon  we  had  a  pleasant  walk  on  the  Queen's 
Highway,  which  extends  almost  entirely  around  the  isl- 
and; it  is  often  called  the  Sinners'  Road,  because  it  has 
been  built  by  sinners  as  the  reward  for  their  iniquity. 
The  part  of  it  which  we  traversed  is  delightfully  shaded 
by  a  forest  of  bread-fruit  and  widespreading  vi  trees. 

"  After  supper  we  conversed  freely  on  various  topics. 
In  reference  to  the  children  of  missionaries,  Mr.  Prit- 
chard stated  that  no  subject  gave  them  so  much  anxiety; 
that  now  no  one  dissented  from  the  opinion  that  it  is 
better  for  the  children,  in  every  point  of  view,  to  send 
them  home  to  England ;  better,  too,  for  the  mission,  as 
they,  if  corrupted,  would  counteract  the  work  of  their 
parents.  (It  was  observed  that  some  of  the  English 
missionaries  intrusted  their  children  to  native  nurses, 
who  took  them  away  to  their  own  homes  in  the  morn- 
ing and  brought  them  back  at  night.  The  consequence 
was  that  the  children  not  only  learned  the  native  lan- 
guage before  English,  but  also  learned  the  vices  of 
the  natives.  The  report  of  the  deputation  on  this  sub- 
ject resulted  in  the  salutary  regulation  that  none  of  the 


48  MEMOIR  OF 

children  of  the  American  missionaries  should  be  allowed, 
while  young,  to  speak  the  Hawaiian  language.) 

"  August  jo. — As  next  Tuesday  will  be  the  most  con- 
venient day  for  the  brethren  to  meet  and  confer  with 
us,  Mr.  Pritchard  has  sent  a  request  to  each  of  them  that 
they  assemble  at  his  station  at  that  time.  To  improve 
the  time  we  resolved  to  visit  Messrs.  Nott  and  Wilson 
to-day.  At  six  A.  M.  we  embarked  in  a  large  whale-boat, 
with  Mr.  Pritchard  at  the  helm,  for  Matavai,  some  eight 
miles  to  the  northeast.  About  eight  o'clock  we  landed 
at  Matavai,  opposite  Mr.  Wilson's,  who  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  on  the  Duff.  After  breakfast  we  walked  to  Pt. 
Venus,  where  Captain  Cook  made  his  astronomical  ob- 
servations in  1768,  passing  through  a  large  orange  grove 
planted  by  the  first  missionaries  soon  after  they  arrived, 
near  the  site  of  their  first  dwelling.  .  .  .  We  returned 
to  the  church,  a  well-constructed  framed  building,  in- 
closed by  a  stone  wall.  In  the  church-yard  are  a  num- 
ber of  graves,  in  one  of  which  lies  the  wife  of  a  Mr. 
Jones,  a  former  missionary  here.  .  .  .  We  re-em- 
barked at  two  P.  M.,  and  stopped  on  the  way  to  call  on 
Mr.  Henry  Nott,  one  of  the  first  missionaries,  who  ar- 
rived in  1797,  but  appears  still  hale  and  vigorous.  He 
is  revising  the  Tahitian  Bible.  .  .  .  Walked  across 
the  point  and  visited  the  queen  regent,  and  saw  the 
royal  mausoleum,  situated  in  a  grove  of  the  spreading 
chestnut.  Entered  the  boat  again  and  came  on  to  the 
residence  of  Mr.  George  Bicknell,  nephew  of  a  former 
missionary  of  that  name,  his  house  neat,  and  all  about 
him  comfortable.     Arrived  in  Papeete  before  sunset. 

"  September  1. — Tahitian  Sabbath.  About  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  people  attended  the  prayer-meeting  at 
sunrise.     Tute    conducted    the    services    and    made   an 


REV.    WMx   P.   ALEXANDER.  49 

address.  .  .  .  At  nine  A.  M.  Mr.  Pritchard  preached  to 
about  three  hundred  natives.  During  the  services  an  old 
woman  in  the  gallery  kept  the  young  people  in  order  by 
making  a  liberal  use  of  a  long  rod.  My  attention  was 
frequently  called  from  the  preacher  by  the  sound  of  the 
blows  she  inflicted.  .  .  .  The  Lord's  Supper  was 
afterwards  administered  to  about  a  hundred,  in  which 
ordinance  bread-fruit  was  used  instead  of  bread,  and  the 
wine  was  mingled  with  cocoanut  milk,  sweetened  with 
molasses.  At  eleven  o'clock  Mr.  Tinker  preached  in  En- 
glish from  the  text,  '  If  the  Lord  be  God,  serve  him;  if 
Baal,  serve  him,'  to  about  twenty  hearers.  At  half  past 
three  Mr.  Whitney  preached  his  Tahitian  sermon.  After 
supper  the  '  LTica  Letter  on  Revivals '  was  read  by  Mr. 
Tinker. 

"  September  j. — This  morning  Mr.  Armitage  arrived 
here  from  the  island  of  Eimeo,  or  Moorea,  bringing  us  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Simpson,  Principal  of  the  South  Sea 
Academy,  in  which  he  cordially  welcomes  us,  and  bids 
us  go  forward  and  occupy  the  Marquesas.  Mr.  Armitage 
was  sent  out  in  1821  to  instruct  the  natives  in  spinning 
and  weaving  cotton.  (See  Ellis,  Vol.  2,  page  296.) 
About  nine  A.  M.  Mr.  Darling,  who  came  out  in  1S17,  ar- 
rived from  Burder's  Point,  or  Punaauia,  on  the  west  side 
of  the  island.  (He  had  recently  visited  the  Marquesas 
Islands,  and  made  a  report  on  them.)  At  two  P.  M.  we 
met  in  the  school-house.  Mr.  Nott  was  chosen  Mod- 
erator, and  the  meeting  opened  with  prayer  by  Mr. 
Davies.  We  then  stated  the  various  steps  which  the 
A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  had  taken  in  reference  to  the  Marquesas 
Islands,  and  the  fact  that  four  missionary  families  were 
now  at  hand  ready  to  carry  the  gospel  thither,  provided 
no   obstacle  existed.     They,  on  the  other  hand,  stated 


50  MEMOIR  OF 

the  various  measures  which  the  London  Missionary 
Society  had  taken  to  plant  the  gospel  in  that  field  since 
1797;  that  the  state  of  the  people  having  recently  worn 
a  more  pleasing  aspect,  they  had  requested  the  London 
Missionary  Society  to  send  six  missionaries  to  labor  in 
those  islands,  and  that  a  mission  there  could  be  very  con- 
veniently sustained  from  the  Georgian  Islands,  which 
were  comparatively  near.  The  conversation,  which 
lasted  several  hours,  was  very  frank  and  open,  and  a 
fraternal  spirit  prevailed.  ...  It  was  at  length 
agreed,  only  one  dissenting,  that  it  is  not  probable  that 
the  six  missionaries  referred  to  will  be  sent  out,  because 
before  the  request  from  the  Tahitian  Mission  could  have 
arrived  in  London,  the  Directors  of  the  London  Mission- 
ary Society  would  have  been  informed  that  American 
missionaries  were  on  their  way  to  the  Pacific,  destined 
for  the  Marquesas  Islands.  At  most,  more  than  two 
cannot  be  expected.     They  therefore 

"  '  Resolved,  That  our  brethren  be  recommended  to  wait  until  we  hear 
from  England  on  the  subject  of  the  Marquesas  mission;  but,  if  this  be 
impracticable,  that  they  may  be  recommended  to  occupy  one  group  of  the 
islands,  leaving  the  other  for  our  missionaries,  should  any  be  sent  for  that 
field  of  labor;  and  further,  in  case  none  be  sent,  that  they  occupy  the 
whole.'  " 

We  have  only  brief  notes  of  a  tour  of  the  remaining 
mission  stations  in  Tahiti,  from  which  the  following 
extracts  are  taken: — 

"  September  5. — Arose  early  and  started  in  a  whale- 
boat  about  seven  A.  M.,  arriving  at  Burder's  Point  (or 
Puunauia  in  Atehuru)  at  nine  A.  M.  Breakfasted  with 
Mr.  Darling  and  afterwards  went  through  the  fine  new 
chapel,  the  printing  office,  etc.  We  re-embarked  at 
eleven  A.  M.  and  were  shown  the  place  where  the  last 
battle    with    the    heathen    party    was    fought.      Landed 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  51 

again  and  walked  along  the  Queen's  Highway.  A  boy 
got  cocoanuts  for  us,  and  an  old  woman  gave  \isfei 
bananas.     We  greatly  enjoyed  the  scenery. 

"  In  Papara  we  called  upon  the  young  queen  and  her 
retinue.  Afterwards,  followed  by  noisy,  shouting  boys 
and  girls,  we  marched  up  to  the  residence  of  Rev.  John 
Davies.  Had  a  long  conversation  with  him  about  native 
schools  and  teachers.  Slept  comfortably  after  walking 
eleven  miles. 

"  September  6. — Breakfasted  at  daylight  and  walked 
across  a  point  two  miles  to  meet  the  boat.  Crossed 
several  streams  as  yesterday,  on  the  backs  of  men. 
Sailed  on  over  coral  forests.  The  hills  more  verdant 
than  yesterday.  When  we  came  within  four  miles  of 
Mr.  Orsmond's  station,  in  Taiarapu  (the  eastern  penin- 
sula), the  strong  wind  obliged  us  again  to  land  and  walk. 
We  crossed  an  arm  of  the  sea  in  a  very  small  canoe.  Were 
received  by  Brother  Orsmond  and  his  wife  with  much 
affection.  Attended  the  Friday  evening  meeting,  at 
which  Mr.  Pritchard  examined  the  congregation  on  the 
sermon  of  last  Sabbath,  after  which  about  eight  arose 
one  by  one  and  delivered  speeches,  composed  of  Script- 
ure and  as  much  of  former  sermons  as  they  could  remem- 
ber.    The  little  children  sang  finely. 

"  September  J. — Mr.  Orsmond  conversed  very  freely 
about  the  character  of  his  people,  about  their  supersti- 
tions, and  the  late  war  at  Raiatea.  Mr.  Orsmond  had 
charge  of  the  South  Sea  Academy  for  seven  years. 
'Oh,  send  your  children  to  America,'  said  he,  and  gave 
cogent  reasons  for  his  advice,  drawn  from  his  own 
observations.  The  people  brought  us  presents  of  articles 
of  food. 

"Saturday,  September  8  {TaJiitian  Sunday). — Prayer- 


52  MEMOIR    OF 

meeting  at  sunrise.  Sabbath-school  at  eight  A.  M.  At 
nine  A.  M.  Mr.  Pritchard  preached  to  the  natives.  At 
eleven  sermon  in  English  by  myself.  Afternoon,  ser- 
mon by  Mr.  Whitney;  questions  on  the  morning  sermon 
and  speeches.  Evening,  discussion  of  the  salary  and 
'  common  stock'  systems  of  support. 

" September  p  [Tahitian  Monday).— After  breakfast 
took  leave  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orsmond  and  their  inter- 
esting family  of  eight  children,  and  at  eight  A.  M.  pulled 
away  for  Papara,  leaving  behind  the  wooded  hills  of 
Taiarapu.  .  .  .  Landed  nearly  opposite  Mr.  Henry's 
plantation  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  visited  his  sugar  works, 
mill,  etc.  Went  up  to  his  house  on  the  hill  and  took 
dinner  with  Mrs.  Henry,  whose  husband  was  absent  in 
the  Colonies.  We  re-embarked  at  three  P.  M.  and  landed 
at  the  great  morai  which  was  building  when  Wallis  dis- 
covered the  island  in  1767.  We  climbed  to  its  summit, 
built  chiefly  of  the  coral  rock,  fifty  feet  high  and  two 
hundred  feet  long.  We  walked  on  to  Papara,  crossing 
the  streams  as  usual  on  men's  shoulders.  Visited  Father 
Davies'  very  neat  chapel,  and  took  a  pleasant  stroll  with 
Mr.  Tinker. 

"  September  10. — Returned  to   Papeete. 

"  September  11. — Bade  farewell  to  Tahiti,  and  weighed 
anchor  at  noon.  At  four  P.  M.  anchored  in  Taru,  or  Opun- 
ohu  Harbor,  at  the  north  end  of  Eimeo,  and  on  landing 
were  cordially  received  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alexander 
Simpson,  Principals  of  the  South  Sea  Academy  at  Pape- 
toai."  A  letter  written  to  Mr.  Thos.  Skillmann,  October 
13,  gives  the  following  account  of  this  institution:  "It 
has  hitherto  been  the  wish  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society  that  the  missionaries'  children  should  take  up 
their  permanent  abode  in  the  islands.  Accordingly 
provision  has  been  made  for  their  education. 


REV.    WM.    P.    ALEXANDER.  53 

"  The  South  Sea  Academy,  instituted  for  this  purpose, 
was  opened  in  March,  1824,  at  Afareaitu,  in  the  southwest 
part  of  the  island  of  Eimeo,  under  the  superintendence 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orsmond,  under  whose  charge  it  con- 
tinued for  seven  years.  It  is  now  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simpson,  and  its  location  has  been 
changed  to  '  Blest  Town,'  in  the  district  of  Papetoai,  of 
the  same  island.  When  we  visited  that  island  we  spent 
two  days  at  the  academy.  The  house  is  a  framed 
building,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  long. 
The  apartments  at  the  east  end  are  appropriated  to  the 
boys  for  lodgings  and  recitation-rooms,  and  the  west  end 
for  the  girls.  The  dining-room  and  family  apartments  arc 
in  the  center.  In  front  a  yard  of  about  three  acres  in 
extent,  affording  ample  sporting-ground  for  the  children, 
is  inclosed  by  a  substantial  stone  wall,  beyond  which  the 
children  are  not  allowed  to  go  unless  accompanied  by 
their  instructors. 

"On  Saturday,  September  13,  we  examined  the 
children  on  the  studies  of  the  previous  week.  Their 
advancement  in  the  knowledge  of  English  grammar, 
geography  and  history  was  respectable  for  children  of 
their  age.  In  written  composition  they  are  very  prone 
to  fall  into  the  Tahitian  idiom,  yet  it  is  believed  that  the 
school  will  greatly  facilitate  their  acquisition  of  the 
English  language.  The  children  are  allowed  the  privi- 
leges of  this  institution  until  they  arc  fourteen  years  of 
age,  when,  being  supposed  to  be  capable  of  providing  for 
themselves,  they  are  no  longer  supported  by  the  London 
Missionary  Society."  The  society  allowed  them  ^10 
apiece,  if  necessary,  per  annum.  There  were  at  this 
time  eleven  girls  and  ten  boys  in  the  South  Sea  Acad- 
emy, who  were  each  introduced  to  Mr.  Alexander.     He 


54  MEMOIR  OF 

speaks  of  dining  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Armitagc,  who  were 
endeavoring  to  promote  industry  among  the  people — 
especially  in  the  cultivation  of  cotton  and  indigo. 

"  September  ij. — News  was  received  that  the  U.  S. 
frigate  Potomac,  Commodore  Downs,  had  arrived  at 
Papeete,  or  '  Wilks'  Harbor,'  from  Honolulu.  After 
consultation  it  was  agreed  that  we  should  return  to 
Papeete,  taking  with  us  Mrs.  Simpson,  who  needed  med- 
ical advice.  At  one  P.  M.  we  bade  farewell  to  the  children 
and  to  the  romantic,  rugged  isle  of  Eimeo,  were  be- 
calmed an  hour  or  two,  and  at  seven  P.  M.  ran  safely  into 
the  harbor  of  Papeete.  I  found  Rev.  Mr.  Grier,  the 
chaplain  of  the  Potomac,  at  Mr.  Pritchard's,  and  letters 
from  Honolulu. 

"  Saturday,  September  i^.. — Tahitian  Sunday.  At  nine 
A.  M.  Mr.  Pritchard  preached  in  native,  and  at  eleven  I 
preached  in  English.  The  Commodore  and  purser  were 
present.  The  Commodore,  purser,  chaplain,  and  Mr. 
Warriner,  mathematical  instructor,  took  dinner  with  us." 

They  appear  to  have  finally  sailed  for  the  Marquesas 
on  the  1 8th.  The  remainder  of  the  trip  is  related  in  the 
two  following  letters  to  Mr.  Thomas  Skillmann,  written 
on  board  of  the  Missionary  Packet: — 

"  October  13. 

"  DEAR  SIR:  After  much  pleasant  intercourse  with  the 
brethren  at  Tahiti,  taking  our  leave  of  them,  we  weighed 
anchor  September  18,  and  steered  away  for  the  Mar- 
quesas Islands.  It  being  impossible  to  sail  directly  from 
Tahiti  to  the  Marquesas,  we  ran  out  to  the  south  into  the 
variable  winds,  by  which  we  could  get  far  enough  cast  to 
be  able  to  fetch  those  islands  with  the  southeast  trade- 
winds. 

"This  led  us    to    pass    through   the  group  called  the 


REV.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  55 

Austral  Islands,  in  all  of  which  the  gospel  has  been 
introduced  by  native  teachers  from  Tahiti.  We  passed 
in  sight  of  three  of  them, — Rurutu,  Tubuai  and  Rai- 
vavai — at  the  former  of  which  we  called. 

"  Rurutu — called  by  Captain  Cook  Oheteroa — is  situ- 
ated in  south  latitude  20°  2j\  and  west  longitude  1 500  41'. 
In  1820  a  large  number  of  its  inhabitants  forsook  it  in 
consequence  of  a  contagious  disease  which  raged  there 
at  that  time,  and  went  to  Tubuai,  which  lies  about  one  hun- 
dred miles  to  the  southeast.  After  remaining  there  for 
some  time,  attempting  to  return,  they  were  driven  out  of 
their  course  by  a  storm,  and,  after  drifting  at  the  mercy  of 
the  waves  for  three  weeks,  their  canoe  struck  on  the 
reefs  that  surround  Maurua — the  most  westerly  of  the 
Society  Islands.  They  were  hospitably  received,  and 
assisted  in  getting  to  Raiatea,  where  everything  appeared 
new  and  surprising.  They  became  pupils  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  publicly  renounced  ido  atry.  Shortly 
afterwards,  accompanied  by  two  Tahitian  teachers,  they 
were  taken  back  to  Rurutu  in  a  whale-ship,  and  they  soon 
induced  the  whole  population  to  renounce  idolatry. 
Some  Raiateans,  who  had  accompanied  them,  returned 
home,  taking  a  boat  load  of  their  idols  to  the  mission- 
aries as  an  evidence  that  they  had  renounced  them. 
Since  that  time  they  have  been  occasionally  visited  by 
missionaries  from  the  Society  Islands,  and  a  church  has 
been  organized,  consisting  of  eighty  persons. 

"  The  interesting  circumstances  attending  the  intro- 
duction of  the  gospel  among  them,  and  a  desire  to  see 
how  native  missionaries  conduct  their  labors,  led  us  to 
pay  them  a  visit. 

"  On  the  morning  of  September  24,  when  about  six 
miles    from    the    island,   we  were  boarded  by  a  double 


56  MEMOIR    OF 

canoe  manned  by  six  natives,  the  whole  exterior  of 
which  exhibited  very  neat  carved  work.  The  sides  and 
stern  were  tastefuiiy  ornamented  with  feathers,  and  the 
whole  was  calculated  to  give  us  a  favorable  impression 
of  their  ingenuity  and  enterprise.  They  informed  us 
that  they  were  in  the  enjoyment  of  peace  and  plenty, 
and  would  be  glad  to  receive  a  visit  from  us.  We  ac- 
cordingly lowered  our  boat  and  accompanied  the  canoe, 
which,  going  before  us,  showed  the  entrance  between 
the  reefs.  This  is  quite  intricate  and  dangerous,  being 
not  more  than  ten  feet  wide;  as  the  swell  was  heavy, 
the  surf  broke  entirely  across  it.  We,  however,  reached 
the  shore  in  safety.  Just  at  the  landing  a  large  flag  of 
white  tapa  was  streaming  in  the  wind  from  the  top  of  a 
lofty  pole — indicative  of  peace.  About  thirty  natives 
assembled  on  the  beach,  decked  out  in  the  best  their 
wardrobes  could  supply,  gave  us  a  hearty  reception,  wel- 
coming us  to  their  shores  with  many  an  '  I  orana  ' —  'Hap- 
piness attend  you.'  We  were  conducted  to  a  large 
framed  house,  neatly  plastered,  in  which  we  found  two 
large,  comfortable  settees,  a  dining-table,  and  several 
well-made  boxes.  Having  seated  ourselves  until  some 
cocoanuts  should  be  brought,  almost  the  whole  popula- 
tion of  the  village  came  in  to  say,  '  /  orana!  All  the 
women  that  I  saw  had  on  bonnets,  which  the  wives 
of  the  Tahitian  teachers  had  taught  them  to  make. 
Most  of  the  men,  too,  had  hats  of  somewhat  similar 
make. 

"  After  being  refreshed  with  the  milk  of  the  cocoanut, 
I  took  a  stroll  through  the  village,  and  was  as  much 
surprised  as  delighted  to  find  most  of  their  houses  neat, 
substantial  framed  buildings,  well  plastered,  furnished 
with   settees,  tables,  bedsteads,  and  boxes,  all  of  which, 


REV.    WM.    P.    ALEXANDER.  57 

as  well  as  their  houses,  the  Tahitian  s  have  taught  them 
to  make.  W'c  were  sorry  to  learn  that  both  the  Tahitian 
teachers  had  gone  away.  They  had  quarreled,  and  one 
of  them  had  been  taken  away  by  Mr.  Williams  at  his 
last  visit.  The  remaining  one,  according  to  the  most 
definite  information  that  we  could  get,  was  puffed  up 
with  pride,  and  wished  to  become  great,  and,  being 
unable  to  effect  his  purposes,  became  dissatisfied,  went 
to  sea  in  a  whale-boat,  and  has  not  since  been  heard  of. 
(Puna,  the  teacher  here  referred  to,  drifted  to  Manahiki 
and  afterwards  proceeded  to  Keppel's  Island  and  Nuia- 
fou,  where  he  died.)  Most  of  the  people  can  read,  andj 
having  several  copies  of  the  Tahitian  Scriptures,  they 
still  meet  regularly  for  worship,  and  read  and  pray 
together. 

"The  island  is  about  five  miles  long,  lying  north  and 
south,  and  two  miles  wide.  "We  landed  on  the  west  side, 
where  the  people  now  meet  for  worship  in  a  large 
building  which  they  had  built  for  a  school-house,  their 
church  building  having  been  blown  down  by  the  great 
storm  of  last  December. 

"  Being  told  that  the  largest  settlement  was  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  island,  and  that  the  labor  of  crossing 
over  was  not  very  great,  having  procured  a  guide,  Mr. 
Tinker  and  I  set  out  to  go  thither.  We  had  not  gone 
far  when  we  came  to  a  stream,  which  we  crossed  on  the 
shoulders  of  our  guide.  Before  we  reached  the  ascent  we 
passed  through  a  delightful  grove  of  tamanu,  chestnut, 
hau,  bread-fruit,  iron-wood,  hala,  papaya,  cocoanut,  paper 
mulberry,  sugar-cane,  bananas,  etc.  We  also  passed  by 
a  large  bed  of  taro,  many  sweet-potatoes  and  a  large 
orchard  of  pine-apples.  We  found  the  ascent  steep  and 
tiresome,  the  part  over  which  we  passed  being,  probably, 


5  8  MEMOIR    OF 

eight  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean,  the 
highest  part  of  the  island  being  about  one  thousand 
two  hundred  feet.  The  thick  brakes  and  tall  grass 
which  overhung  our  path  sometimes  almost  covered 
us.  After  resting  awhile  on  the  summit  under  the 
shade  of  the  hau.  we  had  just  begun  to  descend 
when  we  met  a  company  from  the  village  to  which  we 
were  going,  loaded  with  spears  and  paddles  curiously 
wrought,  tapas  of  various  patterns,  and  paroquets,  which 
they  were  bringing  over  to  trade  with  us.  Before  we 
reached  the  foot  of  the  hill,  we  met  several  other  parties 
who  were  also  loaded  with  similar  articles  for  barter. 
Exchanging  the  salutation  '  /  orana,'  we  proceeded,  en- 
tering, as  we  descended,  groves  still  more  dense  than 
those  through  which  we  had  first  passed.  The  inhabit- 
ants of  the  village  gave  us  a  cordial  welcome.  The 
first  object  that  attracted  our  attention  was  the 
church,  which  is  a  framed  building  eighty  by  thirty- 
six  feet,  the  upright  posts  painted  red,  the  interven- 
ing spaces  lathed  and  plastered.  It  has  two  windows 
in  front,  one  on  each  side  of  the  door,  one  in  each 
end,  and  one  on  each  side  of  the  pulpit,  which  is 
really  a  piece  of  neat  workmanship.  The  railing  on 
each  side  of  the  stairs  by  which  you  ascend  it  is 
supported  by  eighteen  spear  handles.  In  front  of  the 
pulpit  is  a  neat  painted  desk  for  the  clerk.  It  has  a 
good  floor  of  the  bread-fruit  wood  and  seats  of  the  same 
material.  A  large  number  of  bamboos  of  oil  are  de- 
posited at  one  end  of  the  house,  and  a  pile  of  tapa  in 
the  pulpit,  which  the  natives  have  contributed  to  the 
London  Missionary  Society  to  aid  in  sending  the  gospel 
to  the  heathen.  While  we  were  surveying  the  church  a 
large  number  assembled,   and  though    they   could  not 


REV.    irjlf.    P.   ALEXANDER.  59 

understand  our  language,  \vc  did  not  consider  it  im- 
proper to  pray  with  and  for  them.  Mr.  Tinker  there- 
fore entered  the  clerk's  desk,  saying,  lE  pule  tatou  ;'  and 
the  whole  assembly  kneeled  and  behaved  with  much 
decorum  while  prayer  was  offered.  The  church  is  in  the 
center  of  a  yard  inclosed  by  a  neat  wooden  fence, 
through  which,  up  to  the  door,  is  a  raised  pavement 
eight  feet  wide.  Opposite  the  church  we  entered  a  large 
house  of  similar  construction,  in  which  we  were  pleased 
to  find  several  copies  of  the  Tahitian  Bible,  six  or  eight 
large  well-made  chests,  two  very  comfortable  bedsteads, 
and  two  settees.  The  house  is  surrounded  by  a  pave- 
ment of  hewn  coral  rock  which  extends  about  twelve 
feet  in  every  direction.  After  passing  through  several 
similar  habitations,  wc  were  led  by  one  who  seemed  to 
be  the  highest  chief,  to  his  house.  Taking  us  into  a  back 
room  he  presented  each  of  us  with  a  piece  of  tapa.  We 
had  scarcely  time  to  thank  him  and  seat  ourselves  on  a 
settee  in  his  large  room,  when  it  was  filled  with  women, 
each  having  a  child  in  her  arms.  These  we  were 
requested  to  baptize,  which  we  declined  to  do,  and  we 
referred  them  to  Mr.  Williams,  who  expects  to  visit  them 
in  a  few  months.  A  table  was  then  spread,  and  as  we 
perceived  that  preparations  were  making  to  get  us  some 
dinner,  and  remembered  that  we  had  to  return  two  miles 
over  a  steep  hill,  we  intimated  that  vvc  could  not  wait, 
and  taking  a  refreshing  draught  of  cocoanut  water,  we 
bade  our  kind  new  acquaintances  an  affectionate  farewell, 
and  with  our  guide  began  to  climb  the  hill.  There  are 
in  the  village  about  twenty-five  frame  houses,  besides 
others  after  the  original  native  fashion  made  of  bamboos. 
Taking  it  as  a  whole,  I  have  seen  no  village  in  the  Pacific 
where  the  generality  of  houses  are  so  good,  or  where  the 


60  MEMOIR    OF 

people  appear  more  kindly  disposed  toward  missionaries. 
They  were  very  anxious  that  one  or  both  of  us  should 
stop  and  live  among  them.  We  hastened  back  and 
found  the  people  assembling  to  hear  a  sermon  from  Mr. 
Whitney.  When  we  reached  the  house  where  we  stopped 
first  when  we  landed,  we  found  a  good  dinner  awaiting 
us,  for  which  our  walk  had  sharpened  our  appetite.  It 
consisted  of  roast  pig,  taro,  yam,  bread-fruit  and  cocoa- 
nut  milk.  As  it  now  grew  late,  we  judged  it  expedient 
to  return  to  our  vessel.  But  just  as  we  were  getting 
into  the  boat,  we  were  surprised  with  the  salutation, 
'  How  do  you  do,  gentlemen  ?'  from  one  who  looked  like 
a  native.  She  told  us  that  she  was  a  native  of  Pitcairn 
Island,  from  which  she  has  been  absent  eight  years. 
She  had  brought  her  little  daughter  in  great  haste, 
hoping  that  we  would  baptize  her.  She,  perhaps,  could 
have  given  us  more  satisfactory  information  respecting 
the  islanders  than  anyone  we  had  met  with,  but  we  were 
necessarily  in  such  haste  that  we  could  ask  but  few 
questions.  We  therefore  bade  the  people  farewell,  and 
taking  a  number  of  curiosities  that  we  had  collected, 
pulled  away  to  the  schooner,  passing  through  the  reefs 
much  more  easily  than  we  had  expected.  The  number 
of  inhabitants  on  the  island  is  somewhere  between  two 
and  three  hundred.  The  readiness  with  which  the  peo- 
ple parted  with  their  spears,  showed  their  present  dispo- 
sition for  peace  and  order.     We  trust  their  anxiety  for  a 


Austral  Islands. — Rev.  Mr.  Richards,  of  the  London  Society's 
mission  at  Kaialea,  Society  Islands,  gives  in  the  Chronicle  an  interesting 
account  of  a  visit  among  the  Austral  Islands,  Rurutu,  Tupuai,  and 
Rimatara,  which  lie  made  in  company  with  Rev.  Mr.  Tearce,  of  New  Guinea, 
in  the  John  Williams  in  1SS7.  The  object  of  the  tour  was  not  merely  to 
visit  the  native  churches,  hut  to  secure  recruits  for  the  mission  on  New 
Guinea.  At  Rurutu  the  population  is  increasing,  now  amounting  to  about 
seven  hundred  and   fifty,  and   their  stone  church,  with   walls  two  and  one- 


REV.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  61 

missionary  to  instruct  them  will  not  long  be  indulged  in 
vain,  and  that  someone  who  loves  the  Lord  Jesus  in 
sincerity,  will  be  sent  to  show  them  the  way  of  life. 

"We  have  now  been  becalmed  for  several  days.    With 
a  favorable  wind  we  could  reach  the  Marquesas  Islands 
in  one  or  two  days.     When  we  shall  have  visited  them  I 
will  give  you  some  of  the  results  of  our  observations. 
"Affectionately  yours,  W.  P.  ALEXANDER." 

"  November  2,  1832. 

"Dear  Sir:  After  being  becalmed  more  than  a 
week,  on  the  20th  of  October  we  were  gladdened  by  seeing 
four  of  the  Marquesas  Islands,  viz.,  Fatuhiwa,  Moakane, 
Tahuata  and  Hivaoa.  In  the  afternoon  we  came  so 
near  Fatuhiwa  that  we  were  visited  by  several  canoes, 
most  of  their  occupants  perfectly  naked,  from  whom  we 
learned  that  the  native  teachers  left  by  the  missionaries 
from  Tahiti  resided  on  the  opposite  side.  Being  desirous 
of  having  an  interview  with  them,  we  lay  to  during  the 
night,  and  in  the  morning  stood  in  near  the  place  where 
they  reside.  It  being  the  Sabbath  we  hoped  to  go 
ashore  and  hold  a  religious  meeting  with  the  natives. 
Our  deck  was  soon  crowded  with  the  vociferous  unclad 
savages.  Their  demands  for  powder  and  muskets  were 
peculiarly  eager.  They  informed  us  that  several  men 
had  lately  been  sacrificed,  but  that  they  enjoyed  peace 
at  present,  and  urged   us    earnestly   to    go  ashore.     At 


half  feet  thick,  will  seat  five  hundred.  The  church-members  number 
three  hundred  and  eleven,  somewhat  less  than  one-half  the  population. 
Everything  indicates  thrift  and  careful  cultivation,  and  the  people  are  hon- 
est and  industrious.  The  chief  trader  said,  "  I  could  leave  most  of  them 
alone  in  my  store  without  any  fear  of  being  robbed."  When  their  church 
was  being  built,  the  Rurutans  heard  that  a  large  log  of  foreign  wood  had 
been  washed  ashore  on  an  island  two  hundred  and  twenty  miles  distant. 
They  at  once  put  to  sea,  found  and  purchased  the  log,  and  brought  it  to 
Rurutu  to  make  seats  for  their  new  church.  The  church  gladly  gave  up 
one  of  their  members  and  his  wife  to  go  as  missionaries  to  New  Guinea. 


62  MEMOIR  OF 

eleven  A.  M.  the  Tahitian  teachers  came  off,  and  informed 
us  that  thirteen  persons  had  been  sacrificed  and  eaten 
within  two  months,  that  the  last  had  been  eaten  but 
the  day  before,  that  the  people  treated  their  instructors 
with  perfect  contempt,  that  they  were  unmolested,  but 
had  been  unable  to  accomplish  anything.  They  said 
that  no  white  men  had  ever  landed  since  they  arrived, 
and  they  could  not  tell  whether  it  would  be  safe  for  us 
or  not.  As  there  was  no  prospect  of  holding  a  religious 
meeting  with  the  natives,  and  it  might  be  dangerous  to 
go  ashore,  we  determined  to  proceed,  and  the  next 
morning  at  nine  o'clock  stood  off  Resolution  Bay  on  the 
west  side  of  Tahuata,  the  place  where  Mr\  Crook,  an 
English  missionary,  labored  during  the  year  1797.  We 
were  soon  visited  by  Ioteta,  the  highest  chief  on  the 
island,  with  whom  we  went  ashore.  We  found  living 
with  him  a  Charles  Robinson,  of  Dublin,  tatooed  on  his 
body  and  face  in  Marquesan  style.  Fifteen  months  ago 
three  Tahitian  teachers  were  left  here  by  Mr.  Darling,  a 
missionary  of  the  London  Missionary  Society.  The 
people  laid  aside  their  old  system,  and  generally  sub- 
mitted to  instruction,  till  their  teachers  lost  their  influ- 
ence by  immoral  conduct.  Two  of  them  have  returned 
to  Tahiti,  and  the  remaining  one  was  present  and 
admitted  that  the  above  was  a  true  statement  of  the 
case.  Ioteta  and  his  principal  men  expressed  a  great 
desire  to  have  white  missionaries  come  and  reside  among 
them,  promising  to  renounce  idolatry  and  the  tabu  sys- 
tem, and  obey  their  instructions.  We  saw  in  the  tabu 
houses,  several  large  wooden  idols  of  ghastly  appearance, 
the  carving  of  which  was  exceedingly  rude,  to  which 
human  sacrifices  are  offered.  Many  of  them  were 
engaged    in    their     chief    amusement,    beating    drums, 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  63 

accompanied  by  a  monotonous  chanting  and  clapping  of 
the  hands. 

"  The  Valley  of  Waitohu,  which  faces  the  bay,  is  very 
fertile,  abounding  in  bread-fruit,  which  here  comes  to  the 
highest  perfection,  cocoanuts,  papayas,  bananas,  and 
taro;  of  other  trees  we  saw  the  hau,  iron-wood  and 
tamanu.  Pumpkins  are  also  very  abundant  here,  but 
we  saw  no  potatoes.  In  the  evening  we  directed  our 
course  to  Uapou,  which  lies  fifty  miles  to  the  east  of 
Tahuata.  We  are  persuaded  that  missionaries  might 
reside  at  Tahuata  with  safety  and  with  cheering  pros- 
pects of  success;  and  I  trust  that  the  glad  tidings  of 
peace  on  earth  and  good-will  to  men  will  not  be  with- 
held from  these  benighted  people,  who  now  beg  us  to 
come  and  teach  them. 

"  Early  next  morning  we  reached  Uapou,  where  sev- 
eral canoes  came  off  and  gave  us  a  very  favorable 
account  of  the  state  of  the  people;  but  the  sea  was  sd 
rough  that  we  could  not  land.  We  therefore  turned  our 
faces  towards  Nukuhiwa,  which  lies  fifty  miles  north  of 
Uapou;  and  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  October  21,  we  cast 
anchor  in  Massachusetts  Bay.  Here  we  remained  three 
days,  conferring  with  the  chiefs  and  principal  men  respect- 
ing the  establishment  of  a  mission  among  them,  and 
walking  up  and  down  the  fertile  valleys,  which  stretch 
from  the  bay  in  various  directions  far  back  into  the 
mountains. 

"  The  people  everywhere  received  us  with  the  utmost 
cordiality,  and  seemed  emulous  who  should  make  the 
greatest  effort  to  please  us.  Reports  which  had  reached 
them  respecting  the  missionary  work  in  the  Sandwich 
and  Society  Islands,  had  already  prepared  both  chiefs 
and  people  to  plead  earnestly  that  missionaries  might  be 


64  MEMOIR  OF 

sent  to  teach  them  also.  They  promised  if  we  would 
come,  to  renounce  their  system  of  superstition  and 
idolatry,  and  to  give  heed  to  our  instructions.  When 
encouraged  to  expect  missionaries  in  a  few  months, 
Hape,  the  principal  chief  among  the  Teiis,  who  inhabit 
the  valleys  around  the  harbor,  pointed  out  a  very  fertile 
district,  abounding  in  bread-fruit  trees  and  cocoanuts, 
which  he  intended  to  give  them;  and  he  promised  to 
have  a  house  built  on  it  ready  for  their  reception  when 
they  should  arrive.  To  show  us  how  slender  were  the 
ties  which  bind  him  to  his  old  system,  he  ate  before  us 
a  portion  of  a  sacred  fowl  and  pig,  from  which  the  tabu 
system  restricted  him. 

"  We  also  visited  the  picturesque  Valley  of  Taioa,  four 
miles  to  the  westward,  and  found  the  natives  there  in 
like  manner  prepared  for  the  reception  of  the  gospel. 
The  field  is  white  to  the  harvest,  and  shall  not.  the  reaper 
put  in  the  sickle  ?  We  saw  four  white  men  at  Nukuhiwa. 
William  Morrison,  an  Englishman,  has  resided  there  six 
years,  is  tattooed  like  the  natives,  wears  his  hair  and 
beard  like  them,  and,  like  them,  has  no  article  of  clothing 
except  the  maro.  William  Raymond,  an  Englishman, 
has  been  there  fifteen  months,  and  lives  with  Messrs. 
Angell  and  Shaw,  Americans,  who  six  months  ago 
stopped  there  to  make  a  fortune  by  cultivating  vege- 
tables to  sell  to  shipping,  when  they  call  for  supplies. 
They  have  been  industrious;  and  I  think  they  will  not 
present  any  obstacles  in  our  way. 

"On  the  evening  of  the  25th  we  weighed  an- 
chor, and  during  the  night  ran  down  to  Uapou,  where 
on  the  morning  of  the  27th  Mr.  Whitney  and  I  went 
ashore,  and  found  the  people  far  more  wild  than  at 
Nukuhiwa,  yet  perfectly  friendly.  They  say  that  if 
the  people  of  Nukuhiwa  receive  missionaries  and  do  not 


REV.    WM.   P.   A  LEX  AX  PER.  6*5 

die  in  consequence  of  it,  they  will  be  willing  to  re- 
ceive them  too.  Their  talma,  or  inclosure  for  dancing 
koika,  and  revelry  on  festal  occasions,  is  the  most  splen- 
did one  that  we  have  seen  on  the  islands,  being  a  neat, 
oblong  pavement  three  hundred  feet  long  by  one  hun- 
dred feet  wide,  having  an  outer  border  eight  feet  wide, 
elevated  three  feet  above  the  paved  area  which  it  in- 
closes. On  this  border  a  series  of  houses  arc  erected, 
joining  each  other  so  as  to  completely  inclose  the  court 
of  idolatry.  Within  the  inclosure  are  two  platforms  of 
solid  rock,  thirty  feet  square  and  five  feet  high,  stations 
for  those  who  beat  drums  during  the  festivals,  besides 
which  there  are  four  scaffolds  of  bamboo,  the  use  of 
which  I  did  not  learn.  (Probably  like  the  Hawaiian 
lele,  to  place  offerings  on.)  The  whole  is  shaded  by 
thirty-five  tall,  spreading  bread-fruit  trees,  which  grow 
within  the  court.  The  large  hewn  stone  steps  by  which 
we  entered,  and  the  whole  structure,  manifested  far 
greater  skill  in  masonry  than  I  had  supposed  the  peo- 
ple possessed. 

"On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  on  which  we  vis- 
ited Uapou,  we  turned  our  faces  towards  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  to  which  we  are  now  hastening,  favored  by  a 
fine  breeze  and  friendly  swell.  The  objects  of  our  voy- 
age are  now  accomplished  ;  and  it  is  not  the  smallest 
matter  for  rejoicing  that  the  Lord  has  opened  for  us  a 
wide  and  an  effectual  door  among  the  Nukuhivans." 

They  safely  arrived  in  Honolulu  about  the  17th  of 
November,  1832. 

It  was  stated  in  the  letter  from  the  mission  to  Dr.  An- 
derson, of  December  27,  1832,  that  "the  information 
gained  by  the  visit,  both  with  respect  to  the  Society 
as  well  as  the  Marquesas  Islands,  was  sufficient  of  itself 
to  compensate  for  all  the  expense  incurred." 


CHAPTER    VI. 

» 

TRAVELS   ON  HAWAII. 

AFTER  Mr.  Alexander's  return  to  the  Hawaiian  Isl- 
ands, considerable  time  elapsed  before  it  was  de- 
termined by  the  Hawaiian  Mission  and  the  American 
Board,  to  undertake  the  Marquesas  Mission.  Mean- 
while he  was  occupied  part  of  the  time  in  preaching  in 
English  in  Honolulu,  and  part  of  the  time  in  tours 
through  Hawaii.  From  his  letters  the  following  ac- 
counts of  his  journeys  are  taken: — 

"  Kailua,  Hawaii,  July  20,  1832. — Arrived  off  Kailua, 
with  Brethren  Whitney  and  Tinker,  on  the  schooner 
Becket,  at  daybreak,  and  came  ashore  and  took  breakfast 
with  Brother  Bishop  and  family  in  their  cool,  delightful 
house.  Took  tea  with  Mr.  Thurston,  who  has  a  very 
commodious,  excellent  dwelling.  At  the  suggestion  of 
Mr.  Tinker  we  visited  a  remarkable  cavern,  the  entrance 
of  which  is  in  Mr.  Thurston's  yard,  in  which  we  traveled 
over  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  under  many  a  sepulchral  arch, 
till  we  came  to  a  spacious  pond  of  brackish  water.  The 
name  of  this  cavern  is  Laniakea  (the  wide  heavens).  It 
was  formerly  resorted  to  as  a  refuge  by  those  who  fled 
in  battle.  ...  I  should  have  mentioned  the  fort  of 
Kailua,  and  the  huge  idols,  placed  beside  the  cannon, 
whose  hideous  features  may  be  intended  to  frighten  all 
evil  back  into  the  ocean. 

"This  morning  Brethren  Whitney,  Tinker,  and  my- 
(66) 


REV.    tVM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  67 

self  embarked  at  four  o'clock  on  a  large  double  canoe 
for  Kaawaloa,  fifteen  miles  distant,  which  we  reached 
before  seven  o'clock  A.  M.  Mr.  Ruggles  had  sent  us 
some  large  bunches  of  grapes,  like  unto  the  grapes  of 
Eschol,  which  were  very  refreshing.  Presently  Brother 
Forbes  arrived  with  pics  hot  out  of  the  oven.  Thus 
strengthened  we  commenced  the  ascent  towards  Mr. 
Forbes'  residence,  three  miles  distant,  at  Kuapehu. 
About  every  two  hundred  yards  arbors  had  been  erected 
for  the  relief  of  travelers,  at  each  of  which  we  found  it 
refreshing  to  rest.  In  about  an  hour  and  a  half  we 
reached  the  top,  and  were  heartily  welcomed  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ruggles  and  Hulda,  and  especially  by  Mrs.  Forbes, 
who  received  me  almost  with  enthusiasm.  I  am  now 
seated  by  Brother  Forbes'  desk,  in  his  little  grass  hut, 
everything  around  me  neat  and  comfortable,  the  air 
sweet  and  cool,  the  yard  full  of  shrubbery,  grass,  and 
flowers.  But  I  assure  you,  it  was  no  trifle  to  reach  this 
enchanted  spot.  Since  dinner,  with  Brethren  Forbes, 
Ruggles  and  Tinker,  I  took  a  walk  northward  about  a 
mile  along  the  new  road.  We  passed  through  a  forest 
of  the  ohia  apple  tree,  the  bread-fruit,  and  the  kukui,  or 
candlenut  tree,  and  at  openings  in  the  woods  found 
excellent  potato  and  taro  patches.  It  was  pleasant  to 
observe  the  native  houses  surrounded  with  many  varieties 
of  American  flowers,  their  porches  covered  with  vines,  and 
their  yards  inclosed,  not  with  huge  mud  walls,  but  with 
the  ti,  interlocked,  and  its  tops  covered  with  broad  green 
leaves.  We  visited  Kapiolani  (The-prisoner-of-heaven), 
the  highest  chief  in  this  part  of  the  island.  She  has  a 
very  neat  house  wearing  the  appearance  of  civilization. 
Brother  Ruggles  led  us  through  her  vineyard,  which 
covers  about  an  acre  and  is  loaded  with  grapes." 


68  MEMOIR  OF 

Soon  after  writing  the  foregoing,  Mr.  Alexander 
returned  to  Honolulu,  and  a  few  months  afterwards,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Armstrong,  made  another  tour  on 
Hawaii,  some  account  of  which  is  here  given: — 

"  Thursday,  January  j,  iSjj. — Arrived  at  Kawaihae, 
and  was  hospitably  entertained  by  Mr.  Young,  who  has 
been  on  the  islands  for  more  than  forty  years.  His  wife 
is  a  church-member,  and  his  daughters  appear  well. 
(  He  was  the  father  of  Emma,  afterwards  the  queen  of 
Kamehameha  IV.)  Friday  we  embarked  for  Hilo, 
and  encountered  a  fierce  gale,  and  with  all  sails  furled, 
except  the  foresail,  and  the  helm  lashed,  we  drifted  at 
the  mercy  of  the  wind  two  days,  when  at  three  P.  M. 
Brother  Armstrong  and  I  landed  at  Puako.  .  .  . 
After  a  tiresome  walk  of  eighteen  miles,  drenched  with 
rain,  we  found  the  shelter  of  Brother  Baldwin's  domicile 
at  Waimea  very  pleasant.  Brother  Lyons  was  sick  in 
bed. 

"January  7. — Went  with  Brethren  Armstrong,  Spauld- 
ing,  and  Chapin  to  a  remarkable  cave,  formerly  a  deposi- 
tory for  the  dead.  We  counted  eighty  bodies,  and  sup- 
pose that  it  contains  more  than  one  hundred.  They  are 
wrapped  in  tapa,  and  have  beside  them  calabashes  for 
water  and  poi,  spit-boxes,  and  pieces  of  sugar-cane. 

"January  g. — With  seven  natives  to  carry  clothes, 
food,  water,  and  their  own  provisions,  Brother  Armstrong 
and  I  commenced  the  journey  to  Hilo  via  Luapele 
(Kilauea).  Passed  through  a  fine  country  covered  with 
grass,  shrubbery,  and  wild  cattle,  and  encamped  at  the 
eastern  foot  of  Mauna  Kea,  having  walked  twenty  miles. 
The  natives  threw  up  a  bulwark  of  grass  on  one  side, 
and  built  a  large  fire  on  the  other,  when  having  eaten 
our  evening  meal,  and  had     prayers    in     English    and 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  69 

Hawaiian,  we  slept  comfortably  under  the  broad  heav- 
ens.    .     .     . 

"  Thursday,  10th. — Entered  a  field  of  lava,  covering 
many  square  miles.  Night  coming  on,  we  searched  long 
for  a  place  suitable  for  encamping,  and  at  length  found 
a  spot  of  earth  under  an  ohia  tree,  large  enough  for  us 
all  to  lie  upon.  In  the  morning  we  found  ice  in  our 
calabashes. 

".  .  .  .  Within  a  mile  of  the  volcano  we  found 
an  ignorant  heathen  with  two  children,  who  arc  here  for 
catching  birds  for  the  feathers,  of  which  they  make  lets." 
(They  were  seeking  the  little  black  birds,  Oo,  which  yield 
a  few  yellow  feathers  under  their  wings.  When  they 
are  plucked  out,  the  bird  is  set  at  liberty,  to  be  again 
caught  and  plucked.  These  feathers  are  wrought  into 
cloaks,  capes,  wreaths  and  kahilis,  to  deck  royalty.  The 
value  of  one  such  cloak  is  estimated,  by  the  labor  of  its 
construction,  as  equal  to  $100,000.)  "With  axes -fur- 
nished by  them,  we  cut  the  Pulu-hapuu  fern,  and 
roasted  it  for  food,  our  stock  of  provisions  being  nearly 
gone. 

"  Depositing  our  goods  in  a  little  hut,  built  for  travel- 
ers, at  the  brink  of  the  crater,  we  descended  by  a  cir- 
cuitous, though  steep  and  difficult,  route,  into  the  vol- 
cano. .  .  .  We  went  directly  to  the  great  boiling 
caldron  on  the  opposite  side,  two  miles  distant.  We 
found  it  a  literal  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone,  three  thou- 
sand feet  long,  and  one  thousand  feet  wide,  rolling  its 
crimson  waves  from  the  east  to  the  west,  and  tossing 
its  fiery  surges  forty  or  fifty  feet  into  the  air.  Though 
almost  suffocated  with  the  sulphurous  smoke,  and  roasted 
with  heat,  we  advanced  to  the  very  brink  of  the  lake. 
The  pungency  of  the  smoke  compelled  us  to  retire,  and  in 


yo  MEMOIR  OF 

not  more  than  three  minutes  the  direction  of  the  action 
changed,  and  the  spot  on  which  we  had  stood  was 
drenched  with  red-hot  lava.  It  then  seemed  to  pursue 
us,  as  if  we  had  bjen  too  daring  in  venturing  so  near; 
for  as  we  hastened  to  get  away,  the  fiery  stream  icll 
nearer  and  nearer  us,  so  that  we  became  apprehensive 
that  we  might  be  compelled  to  take  a  shower  bath 
warmer  than  would  be  comfortable.  No  one  could  K  ok 
upon  this  scene  without  being  impressed  with  the  terri- 
ble majesty  of  God.  If  one  small  spot  can  furnish 
such  a  scene,  what  must  the  whole  earth  on  fire  appear 
at  the  Judgment  to  him  who  has  no  refuge?  We 
hastened  to  ascend  and  were  glad  to  find  ourselves  once 
more  on  solid  ground. 

"  Finding  our  natives  in  readiness,  we  immediately 
set  out  on  our  journey  towards  Hilo,  and  before  dark 
reached  Kuolo,  twenty-four  miles,  where  \vc  were 
hospitably  entertained  by  Kanai,  a  member  of  Brother 
Dibble's  church.  His  fowl  and  taro  were  acceptable,  as 
our  stock  of  provisions  was  just  exhausted. 

"January  15. — At  ten  A.  M.  we  reached  Hilo,  three 
miles,  and  were  heartily  welcomed  by  Sister  Lyman, 
and  dined  on  a  fat  turkey.     .     .     . 

"January  16. — In  concert  with  the  brethren  we 
observe  to-day  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  for 
direction  in  reference  to  the  Marquesan  Mission,  meeting 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Dibble  at  eleven  A.  M.  and  at  three 
P.  M. 


C  II  A  P  T  E  II  VI  I. 

THE  MARQUESAS  ISLANDS. 

AT  the  session  of  the  general  meeting  held  in  April, 
1833,  at  Lahaina,  it  was  decided  to  undertake  a 
mission  in  the  northern  or  Washington  group  of  the 
Marquesas  Islands.  The  American  Board  had  written 
advising  against  this;  but  before  their  message  was  re- 
ceived, the  Hawaiian  Mission,  thinking  that  the  offer  of 
the  chief,  Hape,  to  receive  missionaries  should  not  be 
neglected,  had  already  sent  Messrs.  Alexander,  Arm- 
strong and  Parker  to  that  field. 

A  brief  description  of  those  islands  will  prepare  us  for 
the  accounts  of  their  sojourn  there.  The  Marquesas  lie 
in  two  parallel  groups,  thirteen  islands  in  all,  extending 
from  southeast  to  northwest,  between  latitude  south 
eight  to  eleven  degrees,  and  longitude  west  one  hundred 
and  thirty-three  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  degrees.  The 
southern  group  was  discovered  July  21,  1595,  by  Alvaro 
Mendona,  and  by  him  named  Marquesas  in  honor  of 
Marquesas  de  Mendoza,  the  viceroy  of  Peru.  The 
northern  group,  to  which  our  missionaries  went,  was  un- 
known till  tzco  hundred  years  later,  when  it  was  dis- 
covered by  an  American,  Captain  Ingraham,  and  by  him 
named,  "The  Washington  Islands." 

These  islands  are  all  of  volcanic  origin.  They  are 
simply  mountains  rising  from  the  ocean,  varying  from 
two  thousand  to  four  thousand    feet  in  height.      From 

(71) 


72  MEMOIR  OF 

their  summits  sharp  ridges  extend  to  the  sea,  terminat- 
ing in  high  bluffs,  and  separating  the  valleys  from  each 
other  by  high  precipices ;  so  that  access  from  one  valley 
to  another  is  generally  impossible  except  by  canoe. 
Over  all  their  rugged  cliffs  and  rocky  ridges  there  is  a 
perpetual  robe  of  verdure.  Nuuhiva,  the  largest,  is 
about  seventy  miles  in  circumference. 

Mr.  Coan  says  of  it:  "The  peaks  of  this  island 
rise  to  the  height  of  three  thousand  three  hundred 
and  sixty  feet.  Almost  every  pinnacle  is  carpeted 
with  vines;  even  on  the  perpendicular  walls  of  the 
precipices  a  tapestry  of  shrubs  and  verdure  hangs. 
The  bay  of  this  island,  called  Taiohae,  is  shaped  like  a 
horseshoe.  It  is  nine  miles  in  circumference,  half  a  mile 
wide  at  its  entrance,  where  it  is  flanked  by  two  grand 
head-lands  over  five  hundred  feet  high,  and  extends  at 
the  center  to  two  miles  in  breadth.  Its  shore  is  a  beau- 
tiful crescent  of  sand,  interrupted  here  and  there  with 
shingle  and  bowlders."  Says  H.  Melville  (Typee),  "No 
description  can  do  justice  to  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  of 
this  bay.  The  mountains  shut  in  a  vast  natural  amphi- 
theater of  deep  glens,  overgrown  with  vines  and  gleam- 
ing with  cascades.  I  felt  regret  that  a  scene  so  en- 
chanting was  hidden  from  the  world  in  these  remote 
seas."  He  says  of  a  view  he  obtained  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain:  "Had  a  glimpse  of  the  gardens 
of  Paradise  been  given  me,  I  could  scarcely  have  been 
more  ravished  with  the  sight  " 

The  inhabitants  of  these  islands  are  the  Polynesian 
race,  that  has  peopled  nearly  all  the  islands  of  the  Pa- 
cific. So  similar  is  their  language  to  that  of  the  Ha- 
waiians  that  Hawaiian  Bibles  and  other  books  are  easily 
read  by  them. 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  73 

The  population  of  these  islands,  at  the  beginning  of 
this  century,  was  estimated  to  be  twenty  thousand ;  in 
1S76  it  was  only  five  thousand,  seven  hundred  and  fifty- 
four,  diminished  by  war,  cannibalism  and  disease. 

The  people  are  a  finer  appearing  race  than  those  on 
the  Society  and  Hawaiian  Islands.  Says  Mr.  Bingham 
(Hawaiian  Islands):  "The  Marquesans  were  more  noble 
in  form  and  stature  than  the  Hawaiians,  and  the  women, 
vile  as  they  were,  more  comely,  though  some  of  the 
people  were  horribly  tattooed.  But  the  men  were  dis- 
tinguished more  for  pride  and  independence  of  feeling 
than  any  other  natives  in  the  Pacific  isles.  Our  mis- 
sionaries were  struck  with  the  lofty  air  with  which  these 
swarthy,  half-naked  sons  of  ignorance  would  pace  the 
deck  of  a  foreign  vessel,  as  if  the  ship  and  the  ocean 
were  at  their  command,  though  they  were  as  poor  as 
Robinson's  Crusoe's  goats." 

The  following  accounts  of  the  experiences  of  the  mis- 
sionaries in  those  islands  are  chiefly  taken  from  reminis- 
cences written  by  Mrs.  Alexander: — 

They  embarked  July  2,  1833,  on  the  brig  Dhaulle, 
a  Baltimore  clipper,  commanded  by  Captain  Bancroft. 

All  the  missionaries  then  at  Honolulu  assembled  to 
bid  them  farewell,  "  hardly  expecting  to  again  meet  them 
this  side  the  shore  of  Canaan."  All  were  much  affected 
as  they  sang  together  and  united  in  prayer  offered  by 
Mr.  Bingham. 

With  them  were  two  infant  children,  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  Armstrong,  and  the  eldest  son  of  Mr.  Alexan- 
der, the  latter  of  whom  learned  to  walk  on  the  return 
voyage.  They  took  with  them  Hawaiian  nurses,  who 
were  of  great  service  in  the  care  of  the  children. 
The  voyage  was  anything  but  comfortable.     They  were 


74  MEMOIR  OF 

crowded  together,  six  adults  with  their  two  children  in 
a  cabin  twelve  feet  square,  in  the  center  of  which  was  a 
stairway.  In  these  close  quarters  they  suffered  much 
for  lack  of  fresh  air,  especially  as  it  often  became  neces- 
sary to  close  the  hatch  to  keep  out  the  rain,  and  as  "the 
vessel  contained  its  full  share  of  bilge  water."  They  had 
poor  fare,  of  salt  meat,  hard  bread  and  rice  rather  the 
worse  for  having  been  brought  around  Cape  Horn.  Un- 
favorable winds  obliged  them  to  put  into  the  harbor 
of  Tahiti,  where  they  arrived  July  24,  and  enjoyed 
three  days  on  shore  under  the  shade  of  the  orange,  co- 
coanut,  and  guava  trees.  They  were  hospitably  enter- 
tained by  Rev.  Mr.  Pritchard.  Mr.  Armstrong  wrote  : 
"  Nature  here  wears  her  loveliest,  gaudiest  dress.  From 
the  beach  to  the  topmost  pinnacle  of  the  mountains  all 
is  green  and  cheering  to  the  beholder.  Our  rooms  are 
strewed  with  oranges,  limes,  guavas  and  vi,  which  are 
very  refreshing  after  the  seasickness  of  our  voyage." 
Here  Mr.  George  Bickncll  presented  them  with  a  cow 
and  a  calf,  the  best  of  his  herd,  without  which  the  infant 
daughter  of  Mr.  Armstrong  would  not  have  lived.  They 
arrived  at  Nuuhiva  at  ten  A.  M.,  August  10,  1833. 

"As  soon  as  we  arrived,"  says  Mrs.  Alexander,  "the 
natives  came  off  in  great  numbers,  the  women  swimming, 
and  holding  by  one  hand  their  white  tapas,  their  only 
garment,  out  of  the  water.  [H.  Melville  has  given  the 
reason  for  the  swimming  of  the  women:  "Canoes  were 
tabooed  to  them,  hence  when  a  woman  goes  to  a  ship  she 
puts  in  requisition  the  paddles  of  her  own  fair  body."] 
The  deck  was  soon  crowded  with  men,  women  and 
children,  most  of  them  entirely  naked,  a  few  having  only 
a  strip  of  tapa  around  the  waist,  all  making  a  deafening 
noise.     At  sight  of  the   women   and  children  they  were 


REV.    WAJ.  P.  ALEXANDER.  75 

greatly  excited,  jumping  on  the  deck  with  loud  shouts 
of  laughter.  All  the  talk  fore  and  aft  was'  Vahine* 
and  ' PikaninV  (women  and  children). 

"The  ladies  remained  below  in  the  cabin,  until  the 
captain,  throwing  hard  bread  to  the  front  part  of  the 
vessel,  gathered  the  natives  forward,  and  then  put  up  a 
board  fence,  and,  through  an  interpreter,  informed  them 
that  the  ladies  would  come  on  deck  and  could  be  seen 
if  they  would  remain  at  the  forepart  of  the  vessel." 
(Mrs.  Armstrong's  sketches.) 

"As  soon  as  we  had  come  on  deck,"  wrote  Mrs.  Alex- 
ander, "  the  natives  shouted  'Moatake  (good).  I  had  a 
babe  three  months  old;  the  women  admired  him,  and 
begged  for  him.  Swimming  beside  the  ship,  they  showed 
how  they  could  hold  him  out  of  the  water.  [They  pro- 
posed to  make  him  their  king;  more  likely  they  would 
have  put  him  into  one  of  their  baking-ovens.] 

"The  men  made  me  think  of  devils.  They  had  long 
hair,  tied  in  two  bunches  on  the  top  of  their  heads. 
Their  faces  were  tatooed  black;  strings  of  shark's  teeth 
were  strung  around  their  necks,  and  tufts  of  human  hair 
bound  to  their  waists  and  ankles."  The  chiefs  wore 
chaplets  of  cocoanut  fiber  binding  a  mother-of-pearl 
shell  on  the  brow,  surmounted  with  tall  bird-feathers. 

At  evening  the  captain  persuaded  the  natives  to  go 
ashore,  with  the  promise  that  the  next  day  the  mission- 
aries would  land.  "Some  of  the  wild  men  immediately 
proposed  to  exchange  wives  with  the  missionaries.  As 
we  gazed  at  the  island  in  the  evening  light,  it  baffled 
comprehension,  that  beings  so  vile  should  be  placed  in 
scenes  so  beautiful."     (Mrs.  Armstrong's  sketches.) 

The  accounts  given  them  by  their  interpreter,  of  recent 
events,  were  not  assuring.     During  the  week  previous  a 


76  MEMOIR  OF 

company  of  four  while  men  and  a  number  of  natives 
had  visited  the  opposite  side  of  the  island  for  kava,  and 
had  there  been  attacked  by  the  natives.  Part  of  them 
made  their  escape  in  a  boat;  but  two  of  the  white  men 
were  killed  and  immediately  disemboweled  and  eaten. 
During  the  same  week  a  Captain  Dean,  of  the  English 
ship  Elisabeth,  had  landed  on  a  neighboring  island  and 
been  immediately  murdered. 

"On  the  12th  of  August,  all  our  company,"  writes 
Mrs.  Alexander,  "except  myself,  went  ashore.  I  re- 
mained to  care  for  the  babes.  They  visited  Hape,  the 
chief.  He  was  sick,  but  was  pleased  to  see  them,  and 
said  he  would  give  them  the  house  he  was  then  occupy- 
ing. The  savages  everywhere  followed  them  shouting, 
the  women  sometimes  coming  close  and  lifting  the  bon- 
nets of  the  ladies  for  a  fuller  view,  and  exclaiming, 
'Moatake! 

"On  the  15th  of  August  we  all  took  up  our  abode 
in  a  house  near  the  shore,  furnished  by  Hape.  It  was 
fifty  feet  long,  open  all  the  length  on  one  side  four 
feet  above  the  ground,  and  thatched  with  bread-fruit 
leaves  shingled  over  each  other.  The  floor  was  paved 
with  smooth,  round  stones.  We  closed  up  the  open  side 
of  the  house  with  boards,  made  doors  four  feet  high, 
formed  windows  by  cutting  away  part  of  the  bread-fruit 
leaves  from  the  bamboo  frame-work,  and  partitioned  the 
house  by  calico  and  sheeting  into  four  rooms;  one  of 
these  rooms,  at  the  end,  was  used  for  a  store-room  ;the 
next  was  occupied  by  Mr.  Parker's  family,  the  next  by 
Mr.  Alexander's,  and  the  next,  near  the  beach,  and 
almost  in  the  roaring  surf,  by  Mr.  Armstrong's  family. 
At  first  our  doors  and  windows  were  crowded  almost  to 
suffocation  by  the  savages   gazing  at  us.     Our  cooking 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  77 

was  done  outside,  under  a  spreading  bread-fruit  tree,  by 
placing  kettles  on  stones  over  the  fire.  It  was  the  rainy 
season,  so  that  outdoor  cooking  was  difficult.  Some- 
times the  natives  would  take  the  food  out  of  the  kettles 
by  hooks,  and  carry  it  away.  We  bought  bread-fruit 
of  them,  with  knives,  fish-hooks,  and  such  other  things 
as  they  wanted." 

The  captain  of  the  Dhaiille  had  been  directed  to 
remain  two  weeks  to  make  sure  of  their  safety,  but  he 
was  impatient  to  get  away  from  the  savages.  Says  Mr. 
Armstrong:  "To-day  (August  21)  the  Dhaulle  takes 
her  departure,  and  leaves  us  alone  in  this  end  of 
the  earth;  but  the  Lord  is  our  sun  and  shield;  and  those 
who  trust  in  him  cannot  be  moved." 

"Our  first  work,"  says  Mrs.  Alexander,  "was  to  build 
comfortable  homes.  The  natives  were  hired  to  bring 
timber  of  bread-fruit  and  cocoanut  trees,  and  bread- 
fruit leaves,  but  they  tried  us  very  much  by  their  indo- 
lence. At  length  three  houses  were  completed,  placed 
so  near  together  that  we  could  call  from  one  to  the 
other.  I  often  was  made  to  tremble  in  the  night  when 
the  savages  would  pass  close  by  with  flaming  torches,  on 
their  way  from  fishing.  One  touch  of  their  torches 
would  have  set  the  houses  all  ablaze. 

"  We  divided  each  house  into  a  bedroom,  dining-room, 
and  room  for  native  visitors.  They  were  so  thievish 
that  we  could  not  allow  them  to  enter  any  room  but  this 
which  was  always  free  to  them.  We  once  left  a  box  of 
articles  for  trade  in  this  room,  and  soon  found  it  empty. 
They  would  often  thrust  bamboo  sticks,  with  hooks, 
through  our  lattice  windows,  to  take  whatever  the)'  could 
reach.  We  often  awoke  at  night  to  find  them  with  their 
poles  thrust  through  the  windows,  taking  clothing  or  any- 


78  .        MEMOIR  OF 

thing  they  could  get,  or  pulling  up  the  thatch  to  take 
whatever  they  could  reach,  .sometimes  not  one  only,  but 
a  gang  of  thieves  stealing  at  the  same  time  from  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  house.  It  was  most  annoying  to  see 
their  black  faces  peering  through  the  windows,  and 
through  openings  they  tore  through  the  thatch.  I  dared 
not  look  at  them,  for  I  was  sure  to  see  a  look  that  would 
fill  me  with  disgust  and  horror. 

"  The  brethren  went  out  every  day  amongst  them 
with  pencil  and  paper,  to  learn  words,  and  afterwards 
compared  notes,  As  they  roamed  about  they  were 
delighted  with  the  rich  and  beautiful  scenery.  The 
groves  of  bread-fruit,  cocoanut,  and  papaia,  and  a  great 
variety  of  thick  vines  and  shrubbery,  formed  one  almost 
unbroken  shade.  At  almost  every  house  they  were 
hospitably  received,  and  invited  to  eat  bread-fruit  poi. 

"  I  stayed  in  the  house  with  the  doors  locked ;  for  I  was 
afraid  to  be  left  alone.  But  such  confinement  was  not 
good  for  my  health.  I  therefore  one  day  proposed  to 
take  a  walk  with  my  husband.  We  had  not  gone  far 
from  the  house,  when  the  men  followed  us,  and  behaved 
in  such  a  manner  that  we  returned  to  the  house." 

The  fifth  Sabbath  after  their  arrival,  Mr.  Alexander 
preached  the  first  sermon,  telling  the  natives  of  the 
vanity  of  their  gods,  and  of  the  true  God.  This  sermon 
has  been  found  amongst  his  papers,  marked,  "  The  first 
sermon  preached  in  the  Marquesas  Is." 

"  The  big  bread-fruit  tree  that  had  been  used  as  a 
cook-house  was  now  used  as  a  church.  The  ladies  sat 
under  its  shade  on  chairs,  while  the  natives  rushed 
around  in  noisy  confusion.  The  preaching  was  no  easy 
task.  The  natives  would  smoke  and  talk  and  mimic. 
Some  would   lie  and  sleep,  some  laugh  and  talk,  some 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  79 

mock  and  excite  laughter;  here  one  would  sit  smoking 
a  pipe,  there  one  twisting  a  rope;  often  there  was  such 
confusion  that  the  preacher  could  scarcely  hear  himself 
speak.  Not  unfrcquently  the  half  of  those  present  would 
arise  and  go  off  laughing  and  mocking.  They  were 
ready  to  gnash  on  us  with  their  teeth  when  we  told  them 
their  gods  were  false.  They  would  often  say,  '  Tivava 
(it  is  a  lie).  '  Your  God  is  good  for  you,'  they  would 
say,  'ours  are  good  for  us.'  When  the  preacher  shut  his 
eyes,  they  asked,  'Is  your  God  blind,  that  you  shut  your 
eyes?'  An  ax  had  been  stolen.  They  said, 'You  tell 
us  your  God  is  great  and  good,  let  him  find  the  thief  if 
he  is  so  great.'  "  Mr.  Coan  tells  how,  years  after,  when 
describing  Heaven,  he  was  interrupted  by  the  remark, 
"That  will  be  a  good  place  for  cowards  and  lazy  folks, 
who  are  afraid  to  fight,  and  too  lazy  to  climb  bread-fruit 
and  cocoanut  trees." 

Afterwards  the  brethren  preached  by  rotation  every 
Sabbath,  and  after  the  eighth  of  December,  twice  on 
Sabbath.  They  also  preached  in  English  to  the  few 
foreigners  on  the  island.  After  four  months'  residence 
on  the  island  they  were  able  to  translate  into  Marquesan 
four  hymns,  which  much  pleased  the  natives  and  secured 
their  attention.  The  last  three  months  they  were  able 
to  pray  extempore  in  Marquesan.  Generally  only 
twenty  natives  attended  their  meetings.  Once  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  attended.  Mrs.  Armstrong  and  the  other 
ladies  conducted  a  school  for  the  children,  but  only  a  few 
attended,  and  they  very  irregularly;  and  not  more  than 
half  a  dozen  learned  the  alphabet. 

"This  is  indeed  a  wretched,  degraded  people.  I  would 
not  have  believed  there  was  a  people  so  nearly  on  a  level 
with  the   brute  creation,  if  I  had   not  seen  this  people. 


8o  MEMOIR  OF 

The  women  are  greatly  oppressed  by  the  taboo  system. 
They  are  forbidden  to  enter  many  of  the  houses  of  the 
men,  and  have  few  of  the  privileges  the  men  enjoy;  they 
are  also  abused  and  cruelly  beaten  by  their  husbands. 
Yet  they  plead  for  having  five  or  six  husbands.  They 
ask  who  will  prepare  their  food  if  they  have  only  one 
husband.  The  first  husband  is  a  chief,  and  he  must  not 
work;  and  it  is  considered  not  proper  for  the  second  also 
to  work;  and  therefore  they  must  have  five  or  six  hus- 
bands." 

Although  Hape  was  the  chief  of  this  part  of  the 
island,  the  natives  seemed  to  be  almost  without  control. 
One  of  the  missionaries  once  asked,  "  Who  is  king  here?" 
The  reply  was,  "  You  are  king;  I  am  king;  we  are  all 
kings."  This  was  a  sort  of  a  democracy  of  liberty 
without  law.  Strange  to  say,  there  were  men  from  civ- 
ilized lands  who  actually  enjoyed  it.  There  were  eight 
white  men  on  the  island,  living  in  the  same  degradation 
as  the  natives.  The  popular  writer,  Herman  Melville, 
spent  several  months  here,  and  poetically  described  the 
neighboring  valley  as  the  "  Happy  Valley."  "  Here," 
he  humorously  wrote,  "  were  none  of  the  thousand 
sources  of  irritation  that  the  ingenuity  of  civilized  man 
has  created  to  mar  his  own  felicity.  There  were  no 
foreclosures  of  mortgages,  no  protested  notes,  no  debts 
of  honor,  no  poor  relatives  everlastingly  occupying  the 
bed-chamber,  no  beggars,  no  debtor's  prisons,  no  proud 
and  hard-hearted  nabobs,  or,  to  sum  up  all  in  one  word, 
no  money.  All  was  fun  and  high  good-humor,  frolic 
with  flowers  and  the  sport  of  hunting  and  fishing." 

The  missionaries  saw  an  amusing  illustration  of  this 
sort  of  felicity  in  the  case  of  a  man  who  claimed  to  be 
the  son  of  an  English  nobleman,  who  had  been  sent  to 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  Si 

sea  as  a  bad  boy  to  be  reformed,  and  had  run  away  from 
his  ship,  and  was  there  at  that  time  going  almost  naked, 
tattooed  all  over,  except  on  his  face.  He  was  accus- 
tomed to  climb  over  the  highest  ridges  to  attend  savage 
feasts,  and  he  remarked  that  "  this  was  the  happiest  pe- 
riod of  his  life." 

The  happiness  of  this  style  of  life  was  not  entirely 
unalloyed.  To  say  nothing  of  the  degradation  of  it, 
and  of  the  misery  of  the  prevailing  superstitions,  there 
was  continually  the  horror  of  savage  strife  and  cannibal- 
ism. Sometimes,  at  night,  a  company  would  go  in  a 
canoe  to  a  distant  bay,  and  there  land,  and  stealthily 
surround  a  house,  and  at  a  given  signal  kill  everyone 
within,  and  then  they  would  hurry  away  with  the  dead 
bodies  to  their  port,  and  there  have  a  cannibal  feast. 
The  people  of  the  distant  bay  would  do  a  similar  act  in 
retaliation;  and  thus  a  savage  war  would  be  occasioned. 

The  people  of  each  valley  were  accustomed  to  kill 
those  of  the  neighboring  valley  at  sight.  Mr.  Alexan- 
der once  desired  to  explore  the  valley  of  Typee,  with  a 
view  to  making  a  mission  station  there.  With  much 
difficulty  he  found  a  man,  who  was  a  sort  of  neutral, 
that  is,  one  permitted  to  go  unharmed  from  one  valley 
to  the  other.  With  this  man  he  and  Mr.  Parker  went 
to  Typee.  Immediately  on  entering  that  valley,  they 
were  surrounded  by  a  savage  multitude  vociferating 
fiercely.  In  I S 1 3  Captain  Porter,  of  the  U.  S.  ship  Essex, 
had  chastised  the  natives  of  that  valley,  and  had  pursued 
them  far  into  the  interior  of  the  island,  killing  many  of 
them.  One  of  the  natives  now  exclaimed,  "Porter  killed 
my  father."  Another  said,  "  Porter  killed  my  brother." 
Another,  clapping  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  said,  "  Porter 
shot  me  here."  The  missionaries  then  expected  to  be 
6 


82  MEMOIR  OF 

killed,  when  their  guide  said  to  the  natives:  "These 
men  are  not  like  Porter.  He  came  to  fight;  these  men 
have  come  to  teach  us  not  to  fight."  He  then  repeated, 
very  correctly,  the  sermons  which  the  missionaries  had 
preached.  The  natives  then  shouted,  "  Moatake"  (good), 
and  conducted  them  to  a  house,  where  they  spent  the 
night,  expecting  to  be  clubbed  before  morning;  but  they 
were  not  disturbed,  and  the  next  morning  they  were 
allowed  to  return  home,  which  they  did,  by  the  advice 
of  their  guide,  by  a  different  route  from  that  of  the  day 
before. 

The  chief,  Hape,  at  length  became  quite  unfriendly. 
He  was  disappointed  that  the  missionaries  did  not  cure 
him  of  his  sickness,  and  did  not  give  him  more  presents, 
for  which  he  daily  begged ;  and  he  urged  the  natives  not 
to  attend  the  meetings. 

On  the  4th  of  December  he  died.  ''The  hills  then 
echoed  with  wailing,  the  thumping  of  drums,  and  the 
blowing  of  conch  shells."  The  body  was  hung  high  in 
a  canoe  over  the  heiau;  and  the  first  wife  was  obliged  to 
remain  continually  in  care  of  it,  to  provide  food  for  the 
spirit,  until  the  body  had  so  far  decayed  that  the  bones 
could  be  picked  out,  which  it  was  the  privilege  of  the 
wife,  or  the  nearest  relative,  to  do.  Mr.  Alexander  has 
given  in  one  of  his  sermons  a  picture  of  the  scenes  then 
witnessed.  "The  funeral  rites  beggared  description,  for 
obscenity,  noise,  cruelty  and  beastly  exposure. 
They  lasted  seven  days,  and  were  the  darkest  days  I 
ever  saw.  Companies  came  from  all  parts,  filling  the 
air  with  loud  waitings,  dancing  in  a  state  of  perfect  nudity 
around  the  corpse,  like  so  many  furies,  cutting  their 
flesh  with  shells  and  sharp  stones,  till  the  blood  trickled 
down   to  their  feet,  the  women  tearing  out   their  hair, 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  83 

both  men  and  women  knocking  out  their  teeth,  in- 
dulging in  the  most  revolting  licentiousness,  and  feast- 
ing to  excess,  while  muskets  were  fired  and  sea-shells 
were  kept  a-blowing  with  a  long,  deep,  sepulchral  sound 
during  the  whole  night.  Verily  I  seemed  to  be  for  the 
time  on  the  borders  of  the  infernal  regions."  Mrs.  Par- 
ker mentions  that  "  Hape  soon  became  a  nuisance  to 
all,  and  to  us  in  particular,  except  when  the  wind  fa- 
vored us,  blowing  in  another  direction." 

The  hostility  between  the  different  valleys  made  the 
situation  of  the  missionaries  very  insecure.  They  were 
several  times  informed  that  the  Typces  were  coming  in 
the  night  to  kill  them,  and  to  take  their  property.  But 
their  most  serious  danger  was  from  the  foreigners,  who 
had  taken  their  abode  amongst  the  natives.  As  a  gen- 
eral rule  civilized  men  turned  savage  are  more  danger- 
ous than  the  savage-born;  and  their  presence  in  heathen 
lands  is  a  greater  obstacle  to  Christianity  than  heathen- 
ism itself.  Such  a  man  was  a  convict  from  New  Zea- 
land, known  by  the  name  of  Morrison.  The  night 
after  Hape  died  the  missionaries  were  hastily  sent 
for,  because  he  had  become  suddenly  sick.  The  day 
before  a  great  school  of  porpoises  had  come  into  the 
bay,  and  the  natives  had  caught  them  in  such  quanti- 
ties that  their  bodies  were  piled  up  on  the  shore; 
and  for  many  days,  even  after  putrefaction  had  begun, 
everyone  helped  himself  to  their  flesh,  as  he  pleased. 
This  man  gave  his  appetite  full  rein.  The  consequence 
was  that  he  had  an  attack  of  apoplexy,  from  which 
he  died  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  The  natives  now 
informed  the  missionaries  that  he  had  planned  to  fire 
their  houses,  and  to  murder  them  all,  in  order  to  ob- 
tain their  few  articles  of  property.     Their  hearts  over- 


84  MEMOIR  OF 

flowed  with  gratitude  to  God  for  this  providential  de- 
liverance. They,  however,  determined  to  give  the  body 
a  burial  in  Christian  style,  the  first  such  burial  on  the 
island.  They  made  a  coffin  out  of  their  boxes,  dug  a 
grave,  and  with  prayer  lowered  the  body  into  it.  A  na- 
tive then  threw  in  a  baked  hog.  Mr.  Armstrong  threw 
it  out.  It  was  again  thrown  in  and  again  thrown  out. 
The  native  then  said,  "The  soul  of  that  man  will  come  to 
me  in  the  night  and  will  say,  'You  are  stingy,  I  am 
hungry.'"  It  was  supposed  that  he  afterwards  dug  into 
the  grave,  and  buried  the  pig  alongside  of  the  corpse. 

The  utterly  treacherous  character  of  the  natives  was 
once  illustrated  in  an  amusing  way,  by  an  attempt  they 
made  to  destroy  a  ship.  When  a  captain  once  was  about 
to  take  his  ship  to  sea,  and  had  raised  his  anchor  and  set 
his  sails,  he  observed  that  his  ship  made  no  progress,  but 
was  rather  approaching  the  shore.  Taking  a  spy-glass, 
and  examining  a  crowd  of  savages  on  the  beach,  he  dis- 
covered that  they  were  pulling  away  at  a  rope.  He  then 
lowered  a  boat  and  found  a  rope  attached  under  water 
to  the  ship.  This  he  cut,  and  thereby  saved  his  ship, 
and  himself  and  his  crew,  from  the  savages. 

After  the  missionaries  had  resided  several  months  on 
the  island,  Mr.  Orsmond,  an  English  missionary,  came 
from  Tahiti,  to  inform  them  that  English  missionaries, 
sent  by  the  London  Missionary  Society,  were  on  their 
way  thither.  The  arrangement  had  been  made  that 
the  equator  should  be  the  dividing  line  between  the 
English  and  American  missions.  Mrs.  Alexander  men- 
tions that  "he  further  stated  that  it  would  be  much 
easier  for  their  mission  to  send  supplies  to  missionaries 
here  than  it  would  be  for  the  Hawaiian  Mission;  since 
they,  the    English    missionaries,  had    a  mission  packet 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  85 

that  made  regular  trips  to  their  outstations,  and  we  had 
none.  It  was  very  plain  to  us  that  they  wished  us  to 
give  up  the  field  to  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
The  brethren  spent  .April  1st,  fasting  and  praying  over 
the  matter.  They  decided  that  the  economy  of  mis- 
sions would  not  allow  two  large  societies  to  occupy  so 
small  a  field  together;  and  therefore  they  concluded  to 
relinquish  the  field  to  the  English  missionaries  and  to 
return  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  It  was  very  trying  to 
us  to  leave,  although  we  knew  that  missionaries  were  on 
their  way  to  take  our  place.  The  people  were  in  gross 
darkness;  and  I,  for  one,  was  willing  to  spend  my  life 
among  them.  Shortly  after,  two  whale-ships  came  to 
the  harbor  for  supplies;  the  captain  of  one  of  which, 
Captain  Coffin,  of  the  Benjamin  Rush,  agreed  to  con- 
vey us  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands  without  our  goods. 
The  other,  the  Royal  Sovereign,  Captain  Green,  took  our 
goods  to  Huahine,  whence  a  year  after  they  were  shipped 
to  Honolulu." 

The  missionaries  now  had  to  contrive  to  get  aboard 
the  ship  without  the  opposition  of  the  natives.  They 
secretly  packed  their  goods,  darkening  their  windows 
lest  they  should  be  observed;  and  then  suddenly  the 
ladies,  with  their  infants,  which  had  increased  in  number 
by  two  born  during  their  stay  on  the  island,  went  to  the 
boat  with  a  file  of  sailors  on  each  side.  They  were 
quickly  surrounded  by  a  great  multitude  of  the  savages, 
armed  with  spears  and  clubs.  These  they  conciliated 
by  presents,  and  thereby  they  succeeded  in  getting  away 
from  the  shore.  Their  husbands  came  afterwards  with 
the  baggage. 

"Oh,  what  a  sense  of  relief,"  says  Mrs.  Armstrong, 
"  we  felt,  when  we  were  all  on  board!     It  was  a  critical 


S6  MEMOIR    OF 

moment;  for  the  natives  were  like  friction-matches, 
ready  to  explode  on  the  slightest  provocation  ;  and  when 
(on  the  1 6th  of  April,  1834)  the  sails  were  spread,  and 
the  shores  of  Nuuhiva  receded  from  view,  we  gave 
thanks  to  God  that  during  a  residence  there  of  over 
eight  months  he  had  saved  us  from  \\\t  fury  of  that 
heathen  race."  They  arrived  at  Honolulu,  May  12, 
1834.  Three  or  four  months  afterwards  letters  came 
from  the  American  Board,  to  be  forwarded  to  them  to 
the  Marquesas  Islands,  directing  them  to  relinquish  that 
field  to  the  London  Missionary  Society.  Fortunately, 
they  had  anticipated  this  action  of  the  American  Board, 
and  by  taking  passage  on  a  whale-ship  prevented  the 
expense  of  chartering  a  vessel  to  go  expressly  for  them. 
The  Board  strongly  commended  them  for  their  return. 

In  the  Missionary  H erald  of  January,  183  5,  we  find  the 
following: — 

"The  Committee  (the  Prudential  Committee)  approve 
of  the  relinquishment  of  the  mission;  and  it  is  but 
justice  to  say,  that  the  courage,  enterprise,  and  self- 
denying  zeal  with  which  the  brethren  and  their  wives 
prosecuted  their  mission  for  eight  months  in  circum- 
stances the  most  appalling  to  flesh  and  spirit,  entitle 
them  to  the  unabated  confidence  and  affectionate  sym- 
pathy of  the  Board." 

Soon  after  their  deparature,  three  English  mission- 
aries arrived,  and  commenced  labor  in  those  islands. 
They  remained  there  about  five  years,  and  then  aban- 
doned the  field. 

"In  1838  two  Roman  Catholic  priests  and  one  lay- 
man commenced  mission  work  there,  and  in  1839  these 
were  followed  by  six  priests  and  one  layman.  In  1842 
Admiral  Thouars  took  forcible  possession  of  the  islands 


REV.    JVM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  87 

for  France;  and  the  priests  have  occupied  them  at  sev- 
eral stations  ever  since." — Conns  Life  in  Hawaii. 

In  1853  the  Hawaiian  Board  sent  out  several  ordained 
ministers,  young-  Hawaiians,  pupils  of  Mr.  Alexander, 
together  with  Rev.  J.  Bicknell.  These  have  been  re-in- 
forced  from  time  to  time,  and  have  been  visited  and 
encouraged  by  delegates  of  the  Hawaiian  Board.  In 
i860  there  were  there  two  hundred  and  twenty-one 
pupils  in  the  schools  and  thirty-four  members  of 
churches.  The  success  of  the  mission  has  not  been 
great. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

WAIOLI. 

AFTER  returning  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  Mr.  Alex- 
ander was  appointed  by  the  mission  to  labor  at 
Waioli,  on  the  island  of  Kauai,  a  field  as  yet  unoccupied 
by  missionaries. 

Waioli  is  a  mountain-walled  valley  at  the  head  of  a 
long  bay,  on  the  northern,  the  rainy,  side  of  the  island. 
It  is  all,  both  valley  and  mountain,  clothed  with  verdure 
of  the  brightest  green,  and  made  still  further  beautiful 
by  numerous  streams  and  water-falls,  whence  the  name 
Waioli  (singing  water);  the  name  of  the  chief  stream, 
Hanalei  (wreath-making),  is  also  another  name  for  the 
valley.  Its  appearance  is  thus  described  by  Miss  Isa- 
bella Bird:— 

"Hanalei  has  been  likened  by  some  to  Paradise,  and 
by  others  to  the  Vale  of  Cashmere.  .  .  .It  has 
every  element  of  beauty;  and  in  the  bright  sunshine, 
with  the  dark  shadows  on  the  mountains,  the  water- 
falls streaking  their  wooded  sides,  the  river  rushing 
under  kukuis  and  ohias  (Hawaiian  forest  trees),  and 
then  lingering  lovingly  amidst  living  greenery,  it  looked 
as  if  the  curse  had  never  lighted  there." 

"  Its  mouth,  where  it  opens  on  the  Pacific,  is  from  two 
to  three  miles  wide;  but  the  boundary  mountains  grad- 
ually approach  each  other,  so  that  five  miles  from  the 
sea  a  narrow  gorge  of  wonderful  beauty  remains.  The 
(88) 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  89 

crystal  Hanalei  llovvs  placidly  to  the  sea  for  the  last 
three  or  four  miles,  tired  by  its  impetuous  rush  from  the 
mountains,  and  mirrors  on  its  breast  hundreds  of  acres 
of  cane.  .  .  .  Westward  of  the  valley  there  is  a  re- 
gion of  mountains  slashed  by  deep  ravines.  The  upper 
ridges  are  densely  timbered.  .  .  .  For  mere  loveli- 
ness I  think  that  part  of  Kauai  exceeds  anything  that 
I  have  ever  seen." 

In  climate  it  contests  with  Hilo  the  reputation  of  being 
the  rainiest  district  in  the  islands.  A  few  facts  of  the  pre- 
vious Hawaiian  history  will  aid  to  an  understanding  of 
the  condition  of  the  field  on  which  Mr.  Alexander  now 
entered.  The  first  missionaries  had  arrived  March  30, 
1820,  about  twelve  years  before  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Alexander  and  his  companions.  At  Mr.  Alexander's 
arrival,  in  1832, there  were  one  hundred  and  thirty  thou- 
sand inhabitants  in  the  islands,  of  whom  about  thirty 
thousand  had  learned  to  read  and  write ;  the  New  Testa- 
ment and  a  few  elementary  books  had  been  translated 
into  the  Hawaiian  language;  most  of  the  chiefs  were 
favorable  to  the  missionaries;  and  there  were  in  all  the 
islands  eight  hundred  members  of  churches. 

From  the  station  report  of  1835,  the  following  account 
of  the  selection  of  Waioli  as  a  mission  field  is  taken: — 

"After  making  a  tour  of  Kauai  and  carefully  inspect- 
ing the  two  unoccupied  posts  in  Puna  and  Halelea, 
Waioli  was  chosen  in  preference  to  Kapaa,  because 
more  people  can  conveniently  assemble  there  to  hear 
preaching  than  at  Kapaa.  .  .  .  On  July  20,  a  spot 
was  selected  for  a  dwelling,  which  was  ready  for  our 
reception  August  22,  to  which  was  soon  added  a  cook- 
ing house,  study,  and  house  for  natives." 

In  September  of  the  year  1834,  Mr.  Alexander  took 


go  MEMOIR   OF 

his  family  to  Kauai,  landing  first  at  Waimea,  and  there 
spending  a  few  weeks  with  Rev.  Samuel  Whitney,  who 
at  that  time,  with  Rev.  P.  J.  Gulick,  occupied  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  island.  From  Mrs.  Alexander's  remi- 
niscences the  following  accounts  are  taken: — 

"  We  went  from  Waimea  to  Waioli  with  Mr.  Whitney 
in  a  double  canoe,  sent  us  by  old  Kaikioewa,  the  gov- 
ernor. The  ocean  was  calm,  so  that  we  arrived  at  Waioli 
early  the  next  morning.  We  went  directly  to  a  new 
grass-thatched  house  built  for  us  by  the  natives.  It  was 
a  good-sized  house,  and  was  by  us  partitioned  into  three 
rooms  by  the  stalks  of  the  uluhi  fern  {Glichenia 
Hawaiiensis).  We  had  very  little  furniture,  a  settee  of 
iron-wood  made  by  a  carpenter,  and  a  few  chairs  and 
a  table  brought  from  the  United  States  of  America. 
We  had  no  cooking  stove  but  did  our  cooking  on  stones 
out-of-doors.  Lumber  was  so  scarce  that  we  had  but 
one  room  with  a  board  floor;  the  rest  of  the  house  was 
covered  with  lauhala  mats.  We  lived  three  years  in  this 
house.  I  never  was  happier  than  during  those  years. 
It  was  delightful  to  live  with  my  doors  open  and  to 
have  no  fears  of  the  people  around  me.  There  was  only 
one  white  man  near  by,  until  we  had  a  carpenter  come 
to  build  us  a  house.  Mr.  Alexander  needed  a  house  for 
a  study;  so  we  had  a  small  one  erected,  of  which  the 
roof  was  covered  with  lauhala,  and  the  windows  made 
of  oiled  paper;  for  glass  was  scarce.  The  natives  came 
constantly  to  the  house  for  medicines.  Doses  of  castot 
oil  and  other  drugs  were  given  them  in  joints  of  bamboo 
used  as  vials.  I  often  made  bowls  full  of  pia  (arrow- 
root) and  bread-toast  coffee  for  them  when  they  were 
sick.  They  brought  us  presents  of  fresh  fish,  chickens, 
etc.,  in  return  for  our  care  of  them  in  their  sickness." 


% 


REV.    WM.   P.  ALEXANDER.  91 

"  Davida,  an  excellent  member  of  the  Waimea  church, 
had  accompanied  us  as  a  helper  in  building  up  a  new 
station,  and  with  him  his  train,  making  in  all  seventy- 
five  persons.  They  built  a  town  on  the  Waioli  plain, 
which  they  call  Bethlehem."     (Station  report  of  1S35.) 

"  My  husband,"  Mrs.  Alexander  writes,  "  was  told  that 
the  way  to  learn  the  language  was  to  teach  school.  He 
therefore  formed  a  school  of  young  men;  and  soon  he 
began  to  preach  sermons,  which  at  first  were  largely 
made  up  of  quotations  from  the  Bible.  A  good  old 
man,  Papohaku  (Stonewall),  one  of  Father  Whitney's 
church-members,  was  employed  to  correct  the  sermons. 
My  husband  would  then  preach  them,  and  then  call  on 
the  old  man,  who  would  repeat  all  that  he  understood  of 
the  discourse,  and  offer  prayer.  In  a  short  time  my 
husband  was  able  to  preach  without  his  assistance. 
Meetings  were  held  in  a  large  native  house.  The  natives 
sat  on  the  ground  on  mats.  There  were  one  or  two 
rough  settees  of  their  ownmake,  on  which  the  leading 
men  sat.  In  those  days  the  natives  had  little  of  foreign 
goods,  but  they  had  cloth  of  their  own  manufacture, 
kapa  made  from  the  bark  of  the  wauki  shrub.  The 
women  wore  the  pan  (folds  of  kapa  about  the  hips,  leav- 
ing the  shoulders  and  waist  exposed),  and  they  were 
beginning  to  make  holukus  (loose  dresses).  The  men 
wore  the  malo  (a  girdle),  and  the  kihei  (a  kapa  robe 
knotted  over  the  shoulder),  and  were  beginning  to  obtain 
shirts."  "Some  wore  shirts  minus  pantaloons,  and  some 
pantaloons  minus  shirts.  The  attention  and  decorum 
of  a  native  congregation  was  perfect,  save  that  it  was 
not  the  fashion  for  a  Hawaiian  to  suppress  a  cough,  and 
the  attendance  of  numbers  of  dogs,  who  came  as  parts 
of  the  family,  would  sometimes  create  a  diversion   that 


92  MEMOIR    OF 

would    seriously    try    the    gravity    of  a    more    civilized 
audience."     (Mrs.  Emerson's  sketches.) 

In  the  station  report  of  1835,  the  following  account  of 
the  first  year's  labor  is  given: — 

"  During  the  year  a  substantial  meeting-house  has 
been  erected,  ninety  feet  long  by  forty  feet  wide,  covered 
with  lauhala,  and  most  of  the  timbers  are  ready  for  a 
school-house.  The  congregation  Sabbath  forenoons 
has  usually  numbered  from  eight  hundred  to  one  thou- 
sand, and  afternoons  about  six  hundred.  Since  the 
first  of  March  we  have  had  daylight  (morning)  prayer- 
meetings,  usually  attended  by  three  or  four  hundred 
persons.     .     .     . 

"October  19-24,  Brother  Whitney  assisted  me  in 
organizing  a  church  at  Waioli,  consisting  of  but  ten 
members,  five  of  whom  were  from  the  church  at  Waimea, 
and  five  received  on  examination  who  had  been  pro- 
pounded at  Waimea;  the  Lord's  Supper  was  adminis- 
tered. .  .  .  Three  schools  have  been  kept  up  at  the 
station  during  the  year.  ...  I  have  been  astonished 
at  the  eagerness  with  which  the  people  demand  new 
books.  The  Kumii  Haivaii  (newspaper)  has  been  sought 
for  with  eagerness,  and  seven  hundred  now  take  it  in  my 
parish.  It  was  pleasant  to  see  the  mountains  illuminated 
at  night  by  those  who  encamped  there  for  the  purpose 
of  preparing  pia,  to  purchase  a  copy  of  it.  What  we  do 
for  this  people  must  be  done  quickly,  for  they  are  fast 
passing  away." 

Mr.  Alexander  made  tours  through  the  adjoining  dis- 
tricts, and    soon  held    regular    meetings    at    two   out-* 
stations,  at  one  of  which,  Pilaa,  in   Koolau,   eight  miles 
distant,  he  was  accustomed  to  preach  under  the  shade  of 
a  noble  kukui  grove,  to  a   congregation  seated  on  the 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  93 

ground,  so  romantic  a  place  for  religious  meetings  that 
Commodore  Wilkes  afterwards  had  a  picture  of  itdrawn, 
representing  Mr.  Alexander  with  a  tree  for  a  pulpit. 
This  picture  is  to  be  found  in  the  fourth  volume  of 
Wilkes'  "  Exploring  Expedition,"  page  69. 

In  the  report  for  1836  the  following  passage  occurs: — 

"  The  common  schools  have  been  low  during  the  past 
year  from  several  causes.  .  .  .  But  the  load  of 
oppression  which  the  people  have  suffered,  has  been  the 
main  cause.  The  men  have  been  absent  from  home, 
doing  public  work  at  Koloa  during  three  or  four  months 
in  the  year;  and  when  at  home  they  were  liable  to  be 
called  upon  to  work  every  other  week  for  the  Governor, 
to  which  add  heavy  taxes  of  kapa,  olona,  pia,  hogs,  etc., 
all  of  which  combined  have  caused  them  to  'groan 
being  burdened,'  so  they  had  little  disposition  to  obey 
the  sound  of  the  school-master's  horn." 

Mr.  Conde  well  describes  the  life  of  a  missionary  at 
those  times: — 

"  His  work  was  arduous,  laborious,  self-sacrificing,  and 
fatiguing,  owing  to  the  extent  and  roughness  of  the 
country  to  be  traversed,  and  the  hitherto  untutored  char- 
acter of  the  people.  It  consisted  in  teaching  school; 
preaching  at  home  and  abroad  on  frequent  tours;  dealing 
out  school-books  to  old  and  young;  visiting  the  sick, 
trying  to  heal  or  at  least  to  mitigate  suffering  by  the  use 
of  medicine;  helping  the  people  (a  few  years  afterwards) 
to  acquire  their  little  homesteads  in  fee  simple,  listen- 
ing to  their  little  troubles,  domestic  and  general;  giving 
advice  to  promote  harmony  and  good-will  among  all; 
teaching  the  arts  of  civilization  as  well  as  the  theory  and 
practice  of  religion;  laboring  with  wayward  church-mem- 


94  MEMOIR    OF 

bers,  and  stirring'  up  all  to  more  watchfulness,  prayer  and 
Christian  activity.  ...  I  never  found  the  day  long 
enough  for  its  duties,  nor  the  night  long  enough  for  rest 
of  body."  It  should  be  added  that  every  morning  there 
were  prayer-meetings  at  sunrise,  conducted  by  the 
missionary,  and  also  that  Mrs.  Alexander  conducted 
stated  meetings  with  the  women.  "  There  was  at  length 
a  furor  for  the  marriage  service.  Mr.  Richards,  of 
Lahaina,  united  six  hundred  couples  in  a  few  months. 
The  usual  fee  to  the  officiating  clergyman  was  a  few 
roots  of  taro  or  a  fowl,  a  little  bunch  of  onions,  or  some 
such  cheap  article  for  the  table,  to  the  value  of  twelve 
cents." 

In  1836  they  were  cheered  in  their  loneliness  by  a 
short  visit  from  Mr.  Tinker,  and  enjoyed  the  counsel  and 
aid  of  Mr.  Bingham  and  family  during  the  month  of 
October.  In  1837  Mr.  Edward  Johnson  arrived,  and 
took  charge  of  the  Waioli  school,  thus  enabling  Mr. 
Alexander  to  give  his  whole  attention  to  pastoral  work. 

In  the  report  of  1838  he  writes: — 

"  During  the  year  I  have  preached  statedly  at  four  out- 
posts, and  occasionally  at  the  more  distant  points  of  our 
field.  I  hope  during  the  coming  year  to  preach  weekly 
at  six  or  seven  different  posts,  so  that  all  the  people  in 
my  bounds,  who  wish,  may  hear  the  gospel  every  week, 
except  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  who  inhabit  the 
Pali  district,  inaccessible  except  by  sea.  The  harvest  is 
fully  ripe,  and,  oh,  for  help  and  wisdom  from  on  high  in 
gathering  it  into  the  garner  of  the  Lord  !" 

During  the  years  1836  to  1838  the  revival,  known  as 
"The  Great  Awakening"  occurred,  and  prevailed  over 
all  the  islands.  Mr.  Alexander  has  related  that  during 
those  years  the  natives  were  accustomed  to  come  inces- 


REV.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  95 

santly  from  early  in  the  morning  until  late  at  night,  to 
converse  on  the  subject  of  religion.  "We  saw,"  he  has 
remarked  in  a  sermon,  preached  by  him  in  the  United 
States,  "displays  of  divine  mercy,  such  as  few  are  per- 
mitted to  see  on  earth,  and  for  which  I,  for  one,  can 
never  be  too  thankful  that  I  have  been  an  eye-witness. 
The  time  has  been  when  the  whole  people  seemed  to  be 
moved  by  the  presence  of  God,  when  the  eager  congre- 
gation would  drink  in  every  word  spoken,  like  men  dy- 
ing with  thirst.  They  received  the  divine  commands 
with  perfect  trust,  like  little  children.  They  embraced 
the  same  Saviour  in  whom  we  trust."  The  desire  to 
unite  with  the  church  became  so  strong  that  Mr.  Alex- 
ander's great  effort  came  to  be,  rather  to  prevent  their 
joining  the  church  when  they  should  not,  than  to  per- 
suade them  to  join.  He  may  have  erred  in  being  too 
rigid,  though  few  acquainted  with  the  Hawaiians  will 
think  so;  while  many  have  erred  in  being  too  lax  in 
hastily  admitting  multitudes  into  the  church. 

As  was  truly  stated  by  Mr.  Alexander  in  his  report 
for  1839:  "Although  the  great  body  of  the  people  have 
professed  anxiety  for  their  souls,  yet  upon  careful  investi- 
gation, it  is  too  evident  that  they  have  been  more  con- 
cerned how  to  get  into  the  church  than  how  to  secure 

eternal    life The  whole    system   called  hai 

manao  (telling  thoughts)  I  have  labored  to  suppress, 
believing  it  to  be  productive  of  many  serious  evils  and 
of  very  little  benefit." 

In  1838  he  visited  Niihau,  and  spent  five  days  among 
the  people  of  that  island.  Besides  the  labors  incident 
to  the  revival,  Mr.  Alexander  was  much  occupied  in  the 
work  of  erecting  a  church  building.  In  1839  the  Waioli 
people  planted  seven  acres  of  sugar-cane,  the  avails  to 


96  MEMOIR    OF 

go  for  the  building  of  a  church.  There  were  two  white 
men  on  the  island,  who  were  good  carpenters.  One  of 
these  made  a  mill  to  grind  by  horse-power,  and  Mr. 
Alexander  furnished  them  his  horse.  They  boiled  the 
cane  juice  in  iron  pots,  obtained  from  a  whale-ship,  and 
dried  the  sugar  in  mat  bags  hung  up  to  drain.  Part  of 
the  money  realized  ($413)  was  applied  to  building  a 
school-house  and  the  rest  to  paying  carpenters  for 
building  the  church.  "  The  lumber  for  the  building 
was  brought  from  the  mountains.  The  men  would  go 
up  and  cut  it;  and  when  it  was  ready  to  be  brought 
down,  the  women  would  go  and  help  drag  it."  It  was 
an  exciting  time  in  Waioli,  when  the  whole  population, 
with  long  ropes,  with  shouts  and  chanting,  dragged  the 
heavy  timbers  into  place  for  the  church,  and  also  for  a 
house  for  Mr.  Alexander.  Coral  stone  was  obtained 
by  divers  from  the  sea,  and  made  into  lime  for  the 
masonry.  The  natives  also  contributed  $88  for  a 
church  bell.  In  November,  1841,  the  building  was  com- 
pleted— a  frame  house,  measuring  thirty-five  by  seventy- 
five  feet,  plastered  inside  and  out.  A  comfortable  house 
was  also  built  for  Mr.  Alexander  in  1837,  before  which 
stood  two  noble  kukui  trees,  which  are  well  remembered 
by  his  older  children,  both  for  their  beauty  and  for  the 
opportunity  they  afforded  for  amusement.  In  this  new 
house  two  more  of  Mr.  Alexander's  children,  Henry  and 
Mary,  were  born.  During  this  time  he  translated  Le- 
gendre's  geometry  and  prepared  a  text-book  on  survey- 
ing and  navigation  for  the  Lahainaluna  seminary. 

In  1840  he  received  a  visit  from  Messrs.  Pickering 
and  Brackenbridge  of  the  U.  S.  Ex.  Exp.,  and  also 
from  Messrs  Peale  and  Rich.  "  They  were  much  struck 
with  the  dress  of  the  native  women  at  church,  its  unus- 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  97 

ual  neatness  and  becoming  appearance.  It  seemed 
remarkable  that  so  many  of  them  should  be  clothed  in 
foreign  manufacture,  and  that  apparently  of  an  expensive 
kind;  but  on  closer  examination  the  dresses  proved  to  be 
tapas,  printed  in  imitation  of  merino  shawls,  ribands, 
etc."—  U.  S.  Ex.  Exp.,  Vol.  IV, p.  69. 

It  now  became  an  increasingly  perplexing  question  to 
Mr.  Alexander  and  the  other  missionaries  how  to  edu- 
cate their  children,  without  exposing  them  to  the  con- 
taminating influence  of  the  natives,  and  without  with- 
drawing from  their  pastoral  work.  In  1840  Mr.  Alex- 
ander took  his  two  oldest  sons,  one  five  and  the  other 
seven  years  old,  in  a  palanquin,  carried  by  two  powerful 
natives,  as  he  rode  beside  on  a  horse,  a  journey  of  forty 
miles,  to  Koloa,  and  there  left  them  with  the  children  of 
Mr.  Gulick,  under  the  instruction  of  Miss  Marcia  Smith, 
who  had  come  as  a  teacher  to  the  islands  in  the  re- 
inforcement of  1837.  In  conjunction  with  Mr.  Armstrong 
and  other  missionaries,  he  had  for  years  been  urging  on 
the  mission  the  establishment  of  a  boarding-school  for 
their  children ;  and  a  report  on  this  subject  had  been 
made  to  the  general  meeting  held  in  May,  1837.  The 
result  was  the  founding  of  the  Punahou  school  (after- 
wards, in  1853.,  chartered  as  Oahu  College),  under  the 
care  of  Rev.  D.  Dole,  to  which  Mr.  Alexander  took  his 
oldest  children  at  its  commencement,  in  1841,  and  after- 
wards sent  all  his  other  children. 

Nearly  every  year  Mr.  Alexander  made  voyages  with 
his  family  to  Honolulu,  to  attend  the  general  meeting. 
In  these  voyages,  made  on  small  schooners  or  sloops, 
crowded  with  natives  and  their  dogs,  greater  discomforts 
were  experienced  than  in  all  the  rest  of  their  mission 
life.  On  one  of  these  voyages  Mr.  Alexander,  with  his 
7 


98  MEMOIR    OF 

family,  was  nine  days  on  a  decked  row-boat  called  the 
Pilot,  in  going  from  Waioli  to  Honolulu.  In  the 
latter  part  of  this  voyage  provisions  failed,  so  that  they 
were  obliged  to  subsist  on  corn-gruel,  cooked  in  a  stove 
extemporized  by  a  wooden  tub  with  a  coil  of  iron  chain 
in  the  bottom  and  on  the  sides.  Water  was  placed  in 
the  bottom,  and  occasionally  dashed  over  the  sides,  to 
keep  the  tub  from  catching  fire.  The  fat  of  a  large  hog 
was  used  with  a  small  supply  of  firewood  for  fuel. 
When  they  reached  Honolulu  the  children,  after  having 
been  curled  up  so  long  in  a  small  cabin,  as  well  as  ex- 
hausted by  seasickness,  were  hardly  able  to  walk. 

One  pleasing  feature  of  the  voyaging  of  those  days 
was  the  devotional  exercises  of  the  natives.  Every 
evening,  at  the  command  of  someone  in  charge  of  the 
deck,  a  hush  would  suddenly  fall  on  all  on  board;  and 
then  some  pious  native  would  arise  and  offer  prayer. 
The  effect,  far  out  in  the  deep,  with  no  sound  but  that 
of  the  dashing  waves,  and  no  surroundings  but  the  wide 
ocean  and  the  blue  sky  above,  was  very  impressive. 

The  discomforts  of  the  voyages  were  fully  compensated 
for  by  the  enjoyments  of  the  general  meetings.  At- 
tendance at  these  was  to  the  mission  like  the  going  up 
of  the  tribes  of  Israel  to  Jerusalem.  After  long  isola- 
tion from  white  society,  it  was  delightful  to  meet  those 
who  had  been  their  fellow-passengers  on  previous 
voyages  around  Cape  Horn,  to  recount  with  them  their 
experiences,  and  to  plan  together  for  their  future  work. 
There  was  in  the  common  devotion  with  which  they  had 
forsaken  all  for  Christ,  and  with  which  they  now  called 
each  other  "brother"  and  "sister,"  a  sweeter  bond  than 
that  of  any  kindred  or  friends;  and  the  children,  away 
from  the  circles  of  their   American   relatives,  were   also 


REV.    WiM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  99 

in  fact,  to  each  other,  what  they  afterwards  became  in 
name  in  the  Mission  Children's  Society,  "  cousins."  Of 
the  meetings  of  the  mission,  Rev.  S.  E.  Bishop  has 
written  that  in  them  "there  reigned  an  indescribably 
rich  fraternal  enthusiastic  atmosphere  of  social  and  spirit- 
ual intercourse.  .  .  .  There  was  a  constantly  strength- 
ening confidence,  and  more  and  more  triumphant  hope, 
of  the  soon-coming  fullness  of  conquest  of  Hawaii  for 
Christ.  There  was  the  earnest  recounting  in  the  station 
reports  of  labors  and  their  fruits,  and  the  enthusiastic  plan- 
ning of  new  work.  .  .  .  The  Lord  seemed  visibly  with 
his  servants.  Causes  of  difference  and  possible  conten- 
tion became  merged  in  the  onward  movement.  .  .  . 
Very  delightful  children's  meetings  were  conducted,  first 
by  Mr.  Spaulding,  and  afterwards  by  Mr.  Coan,  whom  we 
children  nearly  worshiped,  and  to  whose  words  many 
of  us  owed  our  first  definite  earnest  drawings  toward 
the  Lord." 


CHAPTER  IX. 


LAHAINALUNA. 


M 


R.  ALEXANDER  was  obliged  by  failure  of  health 
to  relinquish  the  Waioli  parish, after  having  labored 
there  nine  years,  and  to  seek  a  situation  in  a  drier  cli- 
mate. He  had  once  had  the  misfortune,  when  on  one 
of  his  preaching  tours,  to  sink  with  his  horse  in  quick- 
sands in  crossing  a  stream;  and  though  rescued  by  the 
natives,  he  was  so  thoroughly  chilled  by  a  ride  afterwards 
eight  miles  in  drenched  clothes  to  his  home  as  to  con- 
tract asthma,  which  distressed  him  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  For  this  reason  the  mission  voted  for  his  re- 
moval from  Waioli,  to  take  charge  of  the  seminary  at 
Lahainaluna.  He  removed  thither  with  his  family  in 
1843. 

Of  the  founding  and  plan  of  this  seminary  we  have 
the  following  account  by  Rev.  R.  Anderson:  "The 
school  system  ceased  at  length  to  be  a  power  in  the 
land,  such  as  it  had  been.  The  five  or  six  hundred 
teachers  had  taught  their  pupils  to  read  and  write  and 
perhaps  a  little  more,  but  had  now  exhausted  their  stock 
of  knowledge,  and  the  system  was  coming  to  a  dead 
stand.  The  Mission  therefore  resolved  to  establish  a 
high  school  at  Lahainaluna,  on  Maui,  with  the  special 
object  of  educating  teachers.  The  school  was  opened  in 
September,  1831,  with  the  Rev.  Lorrin  Andrews  as  Prin- 
cipal, and  twenty-five  young  men  as  pupils.  Before  the 
(100) 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  ioi 

close  of  the  year  the  pupils  increased  to  sixty-seven. 
The  course  of  study  was  to  embrace  four  years,  and  was 
liberal  for  so  youthful  a  nation.  The  American  Board 
did  much  toward  the  needful  buildings.  .  .  .  Houses 
were  erected  for  a  printing  office  and  for  three  ordained 
married  teachers.  These  buildings,  with  dormitories 
for  more  than  a  hundred  students,  formed  a  village  of 
some  interest.  There  were  in  1837  one  hundred  and 
seven  pupils.  .  .  .  There  was  a  small  theological 
class  in  the  seminary." 

Lahainaluna  is  situated  on  the  southwest,  the  lee- 
ward, side  of  Maui,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  inland  from 
the  town  of  Lahaina,  and  on  the  slope  of  mountains 
that  rise,  with  grand  steep  ridges  and  narrow  gorges,  to 
the  height  of  five  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty 
feet.  The  scenery  of  the  mountains,  of  the  garden  town 
of  Lahaina,  of  a  frowning  old  volcanic  crater  on  one 
side,  and  of  the  ocean,  and  three  other  islands  not  far 
distant,  has  always  been  greatly  admired. 

Mr.  Alexander  was  here  at  first  associated  in  the  care 
of  this  institution  with  Rev.  J.  S.  Emerson,  who  removed 
to  Oahu  in  1846,  and  Rev.  Sheldon  Dibble,  who  died  in 
1845,  and  afterwards  with  Rev.  T.  D.  Hunt,  who  re- 
mained one  year,  and  with  Rev.  J.  F.  Pogue,  who  after- 
wards succeeded  him  in  presiding  over  the  institution. 

The  pupils  of  the  seminary  were  the  most  promising 
youth  from  fourteen  to  twenty  years  of  age  who  could 
be  selected  from  the  schools  of  the  islands.  Tuition 
was  free;  but  the  pupils  were  obliged  to  provide  their 
own  food,  which  they  did  by  cultivating  a  fine  tract  of 
taro  land,  donated  to  the  seminary  by  the  chief,  Hoapili. 
To  the  Hawaiian  people  this  institution  was  a  univer- 
sity, completing  their  education  for  school-teaching,  for 


io2  MEMOIR    OF 

law  practice  and  civil  service,  and  for  the  ministry, 
Many  of  the  graduates  became  leading  men  in  the  Gov- 
ernment and  in  the  churches. 

The  students  were  obliged  to  work  under  overseers  a 
portion  of  every  day  in  farming  and  in  carpentry,  ma- 
sonry, and  other  trades. 

A  church  was  organized  of  the  pupils  and  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  adjacent  valleys.  Sometimes  there 
was  much  religious  interest,  and  many  made  profession 
of  religion,  and  afterwards  became  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel and  foreign  missionaries.  Three  of  these,  Kauwea- 
loha,  Kekela,  and  Kaiwi,  have  proved  worthy  mission- 
aries in  the  Marquesas  Islands. 

Mr.  Alexander  sent  all  of  his  children  to  the  Punahou 
school.  The  home-coming  of  these  children,  and  of 
those  of  the  associate  teachers,  in  vacations,  by  a  tedious 
voyage  with  much  seasickness,  in  small,  slow-sailing 
craft,  was  a  great  event  at  Lahainaluna.  A  white  flag 
at  the  mast-head,  the  usual  signal  of  missionaries,  or  of 
their  children,  announced  their  coming;  and  long  before 
they  reached  the  port,  horses  were  ready  for  them  at  the 
beach;  and  the  welcomes  home,  with  devout  thanksgiv- 
ings to  God,  were  most  tender  and  affectionate.  The 
time  of  vacations  passed  quickly  for  the  children,  in  baths 
in  the  sea,  rambles  in  the  valleys,  and  excursions  to  the 
summits  of  the  mountains. 

Four  of  Mr.  Alexander's  children,  three  daughters 
and  one  son,  were  born  during  his  residence  at  Lahaina- 
luna, all  of  whom  in  course  of  time  were  sent  to  the 
Punahou  school.  The  oldest  sons  were  at  length  sent 
to  the  United  States  to  finish  their  education.  It  is 
touching  to  read  Mr.  Alexander's  letters  of  this  time, 
expressing  his  feelings  in  these  separations  from  his 
children.     An  extract  from  one  is  here  civen: — 


REV.   JVM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  103 

'•  Laiiainaluna,  February  1,  1855. 
"MY  Dear  Son:  Last  Sabbath  was  a  joyful  day  to 
us.  First,  it  was  a  fair,  sunshiny  day  after  a  constant 
storm  since  this  year  began.  Secondly,  the  steamer 
brought  home  our  dear  ones,  from  Punahou  school,  who, 
weather-bound,  had  already  lost  one  week  of  the  short 
vacation,  and  whom  we  rejoice  to  have  now  safe  at  home; 
and  thirdly,  we  received  letters  from  both  you  and  your 
brother.  .  .  Altogether  the  tender  cords  of  our  souls 
are  so  set  a-vibrating  that  we  spent  the  balance  of  the 
day  in  a  sort  of  dreamy  delirium.  Oh,  shall  we  be  ever 
allowed  to  see  you  all  at  home  together  once  more? 
It  would  make  me  feel  somewhat  like  old  Simeon,  '  Now 
let  thy  servant  depart  in  peace.' " 

The  sedentary  employment  at  Lahainaluna  was  inju- 
rious to  Mr.  Alexander's  health,  for  which  reason  in  1849 
he  was  granted  by  the  mission  one  year  of  respite  from 
school  teaching.  He  spent  this  year  in  surveying  land 
for  the  Hawaiian  Government  in  Kamaole,  on  East  Maui. 
Here,  at  an  elevation  of  twenty-five  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea,  he  lived  in  a  tent,  and  was  engaged  in  cutting 
trails  through  the  forest  to  divide  the  country  into  sec- 
tions for  sale  to  the  natives.  He  preached  regularly 
on  Sundays  in  this  district.  He  also  did  surveying  dur- 
ing the  vacations  of  the  school,  and  thereby  both  re- 
cruited his  health  and  obtained  the  means  to  educate  his 
children.  It  was  during  this  period  that  that  peaceful 
revolution  took  place,  which  changed  the  Hawaiian  Gov- 
ernment from  an  absolute  into  a  constitutional  monarchy, 
and  gave  the  poor  serfs  their  homesteads  in  fee  simple. 
In  this  grand  movement  Mr.  Alexander  was  intensely 
interested;  and  he  gave  to  its  leaders  his  hearty  sympathy 
and  co-operation.  Judge  Lee,  if  not  the  prime  mover, 
was  certainly  the    guiding    mind    in    this    reform;    and 


104  MEMOIR  OF 

between  him  and  Mr.  Alexander  there  existed  that 
strong  mutual  sympathy  and  esteem  which  two  such 
noble  spirits  naturally  feel  for  each  other. 

A  biography  of  Mr.  Alexander  can  hardly  be 
properly  made  without  reference  to  his  brother  mission- 
aries, with  whose  lives  his  own  was  closely  connected. 
Often  his  house  was  their  resort  on  their  way  to  and 
from  Honolulu.  Of  them  all  no  one  was  more  welcome 
than  Rev.  R.  Armstrong,  his  classmate  in  Princeton 
Seminary  and  fellow-passenger  on  the  Averick,  with 
whom  he  was  in  hearty  sympathy  in  the  work  of 
Hawaiian  education,  and  for  whom  he  ever  cherished 
more  than  a  brother's  friendship. 

During  the  year  1845  Rev.  Samuel  Whitney,  one  of 
the  pioneer  missionaries,  and  a  very  dear  friend  and 
fellow-voyager  of  Mr.  Alexander,  arrived  at  Lahainaluna 
from  Oahu  in  serious  sickness.  He  died  in  Mr.  Alex- 
ander's house  a  death  which  Mr.  Alexander  described  as 
surpassingly  glorious  in  Christian  hope  and  joy.  The 
funeral  sermon,  preached  by  Mr.  Alexander,  is  valuable 
for  the  account  it  gives  of  one  of  the  best  men  ever 
known  in  the  islands. 

On  the  29th  of  August,  1855,  another  beloved  mis- 
sionary brother  of  his  died,  Rev.  H.  R.  Hitchcock. 
Mr.  Alexander  went  over  to  the  funeral  at  Molokai,  and 
wrote  of  him  to  one  of  his  children,  "  He  died  rejoicing 
in  the  hopes  of  the  gospel.  His  dominant  passion  has 
always  been  to  preach,  and  his  great  desire  to  live  longer 
seemed  to  be  simply  that  he  might  preach  more."  Mr. 
Alexander  wrote  an  obituary  not  ce  of  him  for  the 
Friend.  Nor  can  we  fail  to  mention  his  neighbor  and 
life-long  friend,  Rev.  D.  Baldwin,  of  Lahaina,  doubly 
connected  with  him  by  family  ties,  who  has  since 
rejoined  him  in  a  better  world. 


REV.   WM.   P.  ALEXANDER.  105 

Besides  his  labors  in  the  Lahainaiuna  Seminary,  Mr. 
Alexander  did  considerable  in  preparing  books  for  the 
Hawaiians.  He  published  a  "  Pastor's  Manual,"  com- 
mon school  and  Sabbath-school  books,  the  two  standard 
books  on  "  The  Evidences  of  Christianity,"  and  "  A  Sys- 
tem of  Theology ; "  of  each  of  which  there  have  been 
two  editions. 


CHAPTER  X. 

WAILUKU. 

IN  1856,  by  advice  of  physicians,  Mr.  Alexander 
resigned  his  post  at  Lahainaluna,  after  having  there 
labored  thirteen  years,  and  took  charge  for  a  few  months 
of  the  ranch  of  Ulapalakua,  as  an  excellent  place  to 
recruit  his  health. 

In  November  of  the  same  year  he  accepted  a  call  to 
the  church  at  Wailuku,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
and  labor  the  twenty-seven    remaining  years  of  his  life. 

The  Wailuku  parish  consisted  of  four  churches  situated 
on  the  slopes,  below  the  valleys  of  the  West  Maui 
Mountains,  and  was  called  for  the  running  streams  of 
those  valleys,  Nawaieha  (The -four- waters).  Mr.  Alex- 
ander occupied  the  old  mission  home  in  Wailuku,  built 
by  Rev.  R.  Armstrong  at  the  mouth  of  the  Iao  Valley, 
and  three  miles  from  the  seaport  of  Kahului.  Beyond 
this  port  is  East  Maui,  with  its  great  mountain,  Halca- 
kela  (House-of-the-sun),  ten  thousand  feet  in  height,  on 
the  summit  of  which  is  the  largest  extinct  crater  in  the 
world.  A  description  of  Iao  Valley,  by  Miss  I.  Bird,  is 
here  inserted,  because  it  was  a  place  of  frequent  resort 
for  rest  and  recreation: — 

"  At  Iao  people  may  throw  away  pen  and  pencil  in 
equal  despair.  The  trail  leads  up  a  gorge  dark  with 
forest  trees,  and  then  opens  out  into  an  amphitheater 
(106) 


REV.    \VM.    P.    ALEXANDER.  107 

walled  in  by  precipices  from  three  to  six  thousand  feet 
high,  misty  with  numerous  waterfalls,  plumed  with 
kukuis  and  feathery  with  ferns;  a  green-clad  needle  of 
stone  one  thousand  feet  in  height,  the  last  refuge  of  an 
army  routed  when  the  Wailuku  (Waters-of-slaughter) 
ran  red  with  blood,  keeps  guard  over  the  valley.  Other 
needles  there  are,  and  mimic  ruins  of  bastions  and  ram- 
parts, and  towers  came  and  passed  in  sunshine  and 
shadow.  .  .  .  And  over  the  grey  crags  and  piled  up 
pinnacles,  and  glorified  green  of  the  marvelous  vision, 
lay  a  veil  of  thin  blue  haze,  steeping  the  whole  in  a 
serenity  that  hardly  seemed  to  belong  to  earth.  This 
valley  is  not  surpassed  for  grandeur  in  the  islands." 

Mr  Alexander  preached  Sabbath  mornings  in  the 
Wailuku  church,  and  Sabbath  afternoons  alternately  in 
the  three  towns,  Waikapu,  Waiehu  and  Waihee,  and 
occasionally  near  Kahului.  There  were  also  morning 
prayer-meetings  and  Wednesday  afternoon  meetings 
together  with  pastoral  visitation,  and,  until  a  physician 
arrived  in  the  region,  much  medical  care  of  the  sick. 

In  1858  he  was  sent  by  the  mission  to  the  United 
States  of  America  to  seek  an  endowment  for  Oahu 
College  and  to  select  a  President  for  the  same.  With 
his  wife  and  two  daughters  and  a  son  of  Rev.  E.  Bond 
in  his  care,  he  took  passage  in  December  of  that  year 
on  the  Mountain  Wave,  Captain  Hardy,  for  a  voy- 
age around  Cape  Horn,  and  arrived  at  New  Bedford 
the  following  April,  after  twenty-nine  years'  absence 
from  his  native  land.  The  visits  to  the  old  homes  and 
re-unions  with  relatives  and  friends,  and  especially  the 
meeting  once  more  of  his  wife  with  her  aged  mother 
were  very  delightful,  and  yet  partly  sad,  because  of  the 
changes  thirty  years    had    wrought.      He    remarked   at 


108  MEMOIR    OF 

this  time,  that,  looking  back  over  the  past,  he  could  say 
with  Joshua,  "  that  not  one  thing  had  failed  of  all 
the  good  things  which  the  Lord  God  had  promised." 
He  returned  with  his  wife  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  by 
way  of  Aspinwall  and  California,  in  December,  1859. 

During  the  year  after  his  arrival  home,  he  united  with 
the  other  foreign  and  native  pastors  of  the  island,  in 
organizing  the  "  Presbytery  of  Maui  and  Molokai," 
which  continues  prosperous  and  in  good  working  to  the 
present  time. 

This  Presbytery  contained  both  Presbyterian  and 
Congregational  Churches,  as  under  it  each  pastor  was 
free  to  adopt  the  form  of  church  government  to  which 
he  was  accustomed.  It  was  also  combined  with  the 
associations  established  on  the  other  islands,  under  the 
one  general  "  Hawaiian  Evangelical  Association." 
There  has  thus  happily  been  a  union  of  two  denomina- 
tions in  harmonious  working  in  the  whole  history  of 
the  Hawaiian  Mission.  Mr.  Alexander's  sentiments, 
and  those  of  the  mission,  were  very  liberal,  as  was 
shown  by  a  statement  he  made  at  the  meeting  of  the 
American  Board  in  Philadelphia,  in  1859,  that  during 
his  voyage  to  the  islands  on  the  Averick,  in  1832,  it 
never  occurred  to  any  of  the  nineteen  missionaries  of 
his  company,  to  inquire  of  each  other's  denominational 
status,  which  were  Congregational  and  which  Pres- 
byterian, and  that  this  was  not  ascertained  till  they  had 
been  at  work  one  or  two  years.  They  lost  nothing  by 
not  entering  into  denominational  strife. 

During  the  same  year  the  churches  under  his  care 
were  blessed  with  a  revival,  which  is  thus  described  by 
Dr.  Anderson:  "Mr.  Alexander  returned  to  his  field  at 
Wailuku,  on  Maui,  in  June,  i860,  after  an  absence  in  the 


REV.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  109 

United  States  of  eighteen  months,  and  was  deeply  im- 
pressed with  the  low  state  of  piety  among  the  people. 
But  brighter  days  were  near.  In  October  there  was 
cheering  evidence  of  an  unseen  power  moving  on  the 
hearts  of  the  people.  The  morning  prayer-meetings, 
which  had  been  greatly  neglected,  were  attended  by  in- 
creased numbers,  and  there  was  an  evident  increase  of 
solemnity  in  those  who  attended  public  worship  on  the 
Sabbath.  Backsliders  spontaneously  confessed  their 
wanderings,  and  asked  an  interest  in  the  prayers  of  God's 
people.  Some  of  the  most  careless  and  profligate 
evinced  great  concern  for  their  soul's  salvation,  and 
Christians  prayed  as  they  had  not  before  been  heard  to 
do.  Fair  professors  of  religion,  who  had  been  living  in 
secret  sin,  were  constrained  to  come  forward  and  con- 
fess their  wickedness,  and  beg  the  prayers  of  their 
brethren.  The  members  of  the  church  were  drawn  to- 
gether, and  together  they  sought  the  Lord.  For  suc- 
cessive weeks  they  met  for  prayer  and  exhortation  three 
times  a  day,  and  sometimes  they  protracted  the  after- 
noon meetings  till  eight  or  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening; 
and  a  few  times  they  continued  all  night  in  prayer  and 
mutual  exhortations.  Fearing  evil  would  result  from 
such  protracted  meetings  the  missionary  advised  their 
discontinuance.  Young  converts  sought  out  former 
companions  in  wickedness,  and  endeavored  to  bring 
them  to  Christ.  Brethren  of  the  church  went  in  com- 
panies of  three,  four  or  five,  and  visited  every  house, 
whether  of  professed  Christians,  Baptists  or  Mormons. 
Multitudes  were  thus  brought  under  the  influence  of  the 
gospel,  who,  living  far  up  the  valleys  and  ravines,  were 
almost  inaccessible  to  their  pastor.  A  wonderful  change 
indeed  came  over  the  whole  communnity. 


no  MEMOIR  OF 

"  For  six  months  and  more  prayer-meetings  were  held 
as  early  as  the  dawn  of  day  in  as  many  as  eight  differ- 
ent places,  and  the  people  seemed  to  take  delight  in 
meeting  each  other  at  that  early  hour.  Scripture  knowl- 
edge was  valued  and  sought,  as  it  had  never  been  be- 
fore. Many  entered  on  the  practice  of  reading  the 
whole  Bible  through  in  a  year.  Pious  women  also  were 
very  active  in  promoting  the  revival." 

By  appointment  of  the  mission  Mr.  Alexander  com- 
menced a  theological  school  in  1863,  which,  in  addition 
to  pastoral  labor,  he  taught  five  days  each  week  for 
eleven  years,  "instructing  in  all  sixty-seven  pupils, 
more  than  half  of  whom  entered  the  ministry  and  did 
good  work  in  the  native  churches  and  Micronesia."  .  . 
The  members  of  the  Wailuku  church  generously  boarded 
the  pupils. 

In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  quote  the  testi- 
mony contained  in  Dr.  Anderson's  "Hawaiian  Islands" 
to  the  character  of  the  Hawaiian  ministers,  as  given  by 
Dr.  Wetmore. 

"  Our  ministers  and  delegates  are  as  a  body  a  very 
respectable  class  of  men ;  we  are  not  ashamed  of  them. 
They  stand  up  nobly  on  every  question  of  importance, 
and  discuss  and  vote  as  intelligently  (I  was  about  to 
say)  as  the  majority  of  the  missionary  Fathers  ;  and  I 
think  such  an  assertion  would  not  be  untruthful.  Four 
years  ago  there  was  considerable  trepidation  in  regard 
to  allowing  them  to  have  an  equal  part  and  lot  in  min- 
isterial work;  but  now  such  fears  have  vanished,  and  the 
hand  of  fellowship  is  extended  heartily.  We  rejoice 
greatly  over  it.  As  Paul  said,  '  We  thank  God  and  take 
courage.' " 

Of  the  ministers  educated    at   this  school  and  at    La- 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  in 

hainaluna  special  mention  should  be  made  of  Kuaia, 
who,  when  an  infant,  had  been  buried  alive  by  his  parents 
and  rescued  by  the  missionaries,  and  who  became  one  of 
the  most  eloquent  preachers  of  the  nation;  and  of  Kau- 
wealoha,  who  labored  with  great  devotion  in  the  Mar- 
quesas Islands,  and  who,  when  the  Hawaiian  Board  con- 
templated withdrawing  from  that  mission,  declared  that 
he  would  continue  to  labor  there,  even  if  not  supported; 
that  as  he  began  life  clothed  only  in  a  malo,  he  would  re- 
turn to  such  a  dress  before  relinquishing  his  work;  and 
of  David  Malo,  one  of  the  most  original  of  the  Hawaiian 
preachers.  A  specimen  of  the  style  of  the  latter  is  here 
given  in  his  discourse  on  the  story  of  Dives.  "  Why,"  he 
asked,  "did  the  rich  man  in  hell  wish  someone  to  be  sent 
to  warn  his  brethren?  There  is  no  benevolence  in  hell. 
Nothing  but  selfishness  could  have  prompted  the  de- 
sire. Ah  !"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  see  the  reason.  He  thought 
he  would  thus  himself  get  out.  He  expected  that  he 
himself  would  be  sent  to  warn  his  brethren."  Seeking 
to  account  for  the  irreligious  lives  of  some  of  the  white 
men,  he  held  two  dollars  over  his  eyes,  and  exclaimed, 
"  This  is  their  predicament.  They  can  see  nothing;  for 
money  blinds  their  eyes."  A  Christian  was  represented 
as  like  a  stalk  of  sugar-cane,  sweet  in  the  outside  rind, 
and  sweet  to  the  core.  He  preached  a  sermon  to  prove 
the  existence  of  God,  which  was  published  for  its  origi- 
nal arguments,  well  adapted  to  the  native  mind.  Mention 
should  also  be  made  of  Pilipoand  Kauhane,  who,  almost 
single-handed,  through  several  successive  sessions  of  the 
Legislature  resisted  the  corrupt  government,  and  who 
also  showed  great  ability  as  preachers. 

Associated  with  Mr.  Alexander,  at  this  mission  station, 
was  Mr.  Edward  Bailey,  who,  as   a  missionary  teacher, 


H2  MEMOIR    OF 

had  done  important  work  at  Kohala  and  Lahainaluna, 
and  in  a  female  seminary  at  this  place,  and  who,  with 
his  family,  living  in  adjoining  premises,  was  always  in 
delightful  sympathy  and  co-operation  with  Mr.  Alexan- 
der in  enterprises  for  the  good  of  the  people.  They 
labored  together  in  establishing  and  building  up  the 
East  Maui  Female  Seminary,  and  in  organizing  the 
Foreign  Church  of  Wailuku. 

In  1869  Mr.  Alexander  resigned  his  pastorate  of  the 
Wailuku  church,  in  order  to  give  more  attention  to 
the  Theological  School,  and  in  order  to  carry  out  the 
plan  of  installing  a  native  ministry.  Yet  he  continued 
to  preach  once  every  Sabbath,  to  assist  in  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  churches,  and  to  take  an  active  part  in  the 
sessions  of  the  Presbytery  and  of  the  Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation. 

In  1874  he  was  obliged,  by  failing  health,  to  relinquish 
the  Theological  School;  and  it  was  removed  to  Honolulu, 
and  there  for  a  while  conducted  by  Rev.  J.  D.  Paris  and 
others,  and  afterwards  by  Rev.  C.  M.  Hyde,  D.  D.,  with 
the  aid  of  Rev.   H.  H.  Parker. 


C  H  APTE  R    XI. 

VOYAGES     TO     THE     MARQUESAS     AND     MICRONESIAN 
ISLANDS. 

IN  the  year  1871  Mr.  Alexander  was  sent  as  a  dele- 
gate of  the  mission  on  the  Morning  Star,  to  the  Mar- 
quesas Islands.  It  was  very  interesting  to  again  see 
the  field  of  his  labors  forty  years  before,  and  delightful 
to  meet  his  pupils,  the  noble  missionaries  Kauwealoha 
and  Kekela,  and  to  see  the  success  of  their  work  among 
the  worst  savages  of  the  Pacific.  He  was  again  sent  the 
following  year  as  a  delegate  to  Micronesia.  We  have  a 
full  journal  of  his  trip  through  those  islands,  from  which 
a  few  extracts  are  here  given: — ■ 

"  Brig  Morning  Star,  July  j,  18J2. — We  had  a  delight- 
ful farewell  meeting  at  the  wharf  in  Honolulu.  As  we 
passed  out  by  the  Nebraska,  her  band  struck  up  a  lively 
air  that  was  very  rousing,  and  just  beyond,  on  the 
esplanade,  Brother  Bingham  and  other  friends  gave  us  a 
last  salutation  in  rapturous  song,  'Waft,  waft,  ye  winds, 
the  story,'  etc.  Brother  Pogue  went  out  with  us  and 
returned  with  the  pilot."  He  then  recounts  very  inter- 
esting visits  at  many  islands,  on  some  of  which  he  met 
with  wild,  unclothed  savages,  and  on  some  with  orderly, 
well-dressed  congregations  of  Christian  converts. 

He  first  spent  a  month  in  cruising  through  the  Gilbert 
Islands,  visiting  first  five  islands  occupied  by  nine  Sa- 
moan  teachers,  of  whom  he  speaks  very  highly,  and 
8  (113) 


ii4  MEMOIR  OF 

then  six  islands  in  which  ten  Hawaiian  missionaries  were 
laboring  with  an  encouraging  degree  of  success.  He 
conversed  with  the  Samoan  teachers,  through  Kanoa,  in 
the  Gilbert  language. 

At  Apaiang  they  found  the  U.  S.  steamer  Narragansett, 
Captain  Meade,  at  anchor.  Captain  Meade  had  come 
to  compel  the  chief,  who  had  destroyed  Mr.  Bingham's 
house,  to  make  restitution.  He  had  collected  $79  from 
him,  and  arranged  to  have  the  balance  paid  the  following 
year.  He  had  also  compelled  that  chief  and  his  party 
to  leave  the  island  and  return  to  Tarawa. 

Here  they  took  on  board  a  worthy  couple  to  assist 
Mr.  Bingham  in  his  work  of  translating  the  Bible  into 
the  Gilbert  language.  They  then  proceeded  to  But- 
aritari,  the  northernmost  island,  where  they  arrived  on 
the  15th  of  August.  The  people  appeared  glad  to 
receive  back  their  faithful  missionary,  Kanoa,  and  his 
wife. 

"  We  visited  the  council-house,  the  largest  that  we 
have  seen,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  one  hundred 
wide,  and  ninety  high.  .  .  .  Here  I  called  upon  the 
king,  Nakaiea,  famous  for  having  hanged  one  of  his 
wives,  and  for  having  shot  three  Hawaiian  sailors.  He 
was  jealous  of  this  wife,  and  on  one  occasion,  as  he  was 
playing  with  her  on  a  schooner,  he  made  a  noose  with 
a  rope,  and  proposed  to  her  to  put  her  head  into  it,  which 
she  did,  thinking  it  a  joke.  He  then  made  his  men 
hoist  her  up,  and  kept  her  swinging  till  she  was  dead. 
He  has  now  about  twenty  wives,  who  are  kept  like 
prisoners  in  jail.  His  house  is  surrounded  by  a  high 
stone  wall,  and  looks  more  like  a  fort  than  a  dwelling. 
When  king  Kamehameha  V.  wrote  to  him,  remonstrating 
with  him   for  shooting    Hawaiians,  he    sent    him  word 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  115 

that  he  was  read)-  to  fight  him  in  single  combat.  He 
would  weigh  two  hundred  pounds;  he  is  a  great  drunkard, 
and  wholly  addicted  to  heathen  dances,  etc.  His  brother, 
however,  attends  the  instructions  of  the  missionaries, 
and  is  hopefully  pious." 

The  Morning  Star  had  a  narrow  escape  from  being 
wrecked  at  Mill,  which  he  recounts  as  follows: — 

"  August  23. — Yesterday  morning  at  quarter  past 
three  I  was  aroused  by  hearing  Mr.  Grey,  the  second 
officer,  shout,  '  Captain,  I  see  breakers '. '  I  was  soon 
dressed.  '  Starboard  the  helm  ! '  the  captain  cried. 
Alas  !  there  were  breakers  on  both  sides,  and  land  all 
around.  The  sails  were  turned  aback;  the  heavens 
were  dark;  the  rain  pouring  in  torrents.  We  grounded. 
The  boat  was  lowered,  and  the  water  was  sounded  all 
around  the  vessel.  A  depth  of  ten  or  twelve  fathoms 
was  found  in  one  direction  near  at  hand.  We  got  out 
the  kedge,  and  as  the  tide  was  rising  were  soon  afloat 
again,  and  warped  into  deep  water.  Here  we  anchored, 
and,  like  Paul,  wished  for  day.  When  it  came  we  found 
ourselves  in  a  lagoon  of  Mill." 

They  had  come  into  a  small  lagoon  inclosed  by  coral 
reef,  near  the  large  lagoon  of  Mill.  This  small  lagoon 
had  so  narrow  an  entrance  that  a  vessel  entering  it 
would  strike  the  reef  by  going  a  ship's  length  either 
way.  By  almost  a  miracle,  driving  blindly  in  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night,  they  had  come  into  it  safely. 

"  We  had  supposed  we  were  many  miles  to  the  east- 
ward of  Mili.  The  captain  took  observations  for  longi- 
tude both  at  eight  A.  M.  and  four  P.  M.  the  day  previous, 
but  he  must  have  made  a  mistake.  We  examined  all 
our  surroundings  and  found  that  we  could  get  out  only 
where  we  had  entered,  and  that  only  at  high  tide,  and 


1 1  6  MEMOIR    OF 

that  the  tide  in  the  afternoon  was  too  late  for  making  the 
attempt.  We  therefore  warped  up  to  a  point  near  the 
passage,  ready  for  a  breeze  this  morning,  to  take  us  out. 
It  is  now  half-past  six;  the  tide  is  up,  the  sea  smooth; 
but,  alas!  no  wind.  What  shall  we  do?  .  .  .  We 
may  bury  the  beautiful  Morning  Star  here,  and  get 
back  to  Honolulu,  who  can  tell  when  or  how?  In  the 
evening  a  large  prau  visited  us,  and  gave  us  pilots  who 
profess  to  be  able  to  guide  us  into  the  proper  place  of 
anchorage.  I  never  felt  more  my  dependence  upon 
God.     In  him  is  all  our  help. 

"August  2 ./. — This  morning  at  high  tide  the  sea  was 
smooth,  but  there  was  no  wind  ;  so  after  getting  ready  to 
attempt  to  escape  from  our  prison,  we  clewed  up  the 
sails  again.  Then  a  squall  and  lively  breeze  sprung  up; 
but  we  dared  not  raise  our  anchor,  lest  while  doing  it 
the  wind  should  drift  us  onto  the  rocks  on  the  other 
side  of  the  channel.  WTe  therefore  wait  another  day 
hoping  then  to  have  a  kedge  and  hawser  ready  to  hold 
on  by  till  we  get  the  anchor  out.  The  rain  is  pouring 
and  has  been  pouring  ever  since  we  entered  here.  We 
recognize  the  kind  hand  of  our  heavenly  Father  in 
bringing  us  safely  in,  instead  of  wrecking  us  on  the 
reef,  and  will  praise  him  for  it  while  we  live. 

"August  2$t  Sabbath. — A  light  breeze  this  morning 
blows  directly  in  where  we  hope  to  go  out,  and  forbids 
our  attempt;  so  we  wait  another  day.  It  is  high  tide 
and  seven  o'clock.  We  must  therefore  go  out  in  the 
morning.  This  is  the  first  of  the  Marshall  Islands  we 
have  visited.  Though  only  one  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  from  the  Gilbert  Islands,  the  language  is  so  differ- 
ent that  the  people  cannot  converse  together.  They  are 
of  smaller  stature    and    differ   in    costume.      We    find 


REV.   WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  117 

some  «f  them  naked.  They  wear  a  mother  Eve's  girdle 
of  hau  bark  attached  to  a  bustle  around  the  waist  and 
hanging  down  to  the  knees.  This  bustle  is  made  of 
lauhala  and  is  so  thick  as  to  give  the  appearance  of  the 
Grecian  bend.  The  people  also  wear  their  hair  bound 
up  in  a  tuft  on  the  top  of  the  head.  The  holes  for 
ear-rings  are  so  large  that  I  thrust  my  whole  hand 
through  one.  Another  that  I  measured  was  five  and  a 
half  inches  in  diameter,  and  another  seven.     .     .     . 

"Friday,  August  jo. — On  Wednesday  morning  the 
wind  was  fair,  and  we  attempted  to  come  out.  In  the 
swell  we  rubbed  bottom,  and  rubbed  harder.  On  we 
went  grinding,  and  at  last  stuck  fast,  the  swell  lifting 
and  dropping  us  down  on  the  coral.  I  thought  our 
vessel  would  be  broken  up;  but  with  a  kedge  we  got 
back  into  deep  water  in  our  prison.  We  tacked  back 
and  returned,  to  make  another  attempt  to  escape,  and, 
aided  by  a  kind  Providence,  we  were  successful.  A  high 
chief  of  Mili  was  our  pilot.  We  entered  the  Mili  lagoon, 
and  anchored  near  Kahelemauna's  at  dark.  Kahelc- 
mauna  came  to  us  on  our  way.  Thursday  I  went  on 
shore.  I  was  delighted  with  the  work  of  the  Lord  on 
Mili.  One  hundred  pupils  recited  large  portions  of 
Scripture;  they  have  learned  to  read  and  write  and 
cipher;  they  are  organized  into  fourteen  classes,  each 
having  a  teacher;  they  are  warmly  attached  to  their 
teachers;  and  many  are  anxious  to  flee  the  wrath  to 
come.     The  Lord  is  with  his  servant  here. 

"September  2. — We  reached  Ebon  at  nine  A.  M.  Soon 
Messrs.  Snow  and  Whitney  came  off  to  welcome  us. 
Oh,  how  hearty  was  their  welcome  !  The  peo- 

ple of  Ebon  are  more  civilized  than  any  we  have  met  in 
Micronesia.     All    are    dressed.      The    gospel    has    been 


n8  MEMOIR    OF 

heartily  embraced  by  many.  ...  At  Namerik  I 
had  a  very  affecting  meeting  with  Kaaia  [his  former 
pupil,  a  missionary],  who  embraced  me  and  wept  like  a 
child.  He  has  been  very  sick,  so  also  his  wife.  They 
are  both  pretty  well  now.  In  going  ashore  we  had  to 
wade  half  a  mile.  We  then  crossed  over  to  the  other 
side  of  the  island,  where  Kaaia  lives.  His  house  was 
soon  filled  with  eager  natives,  all  well  clad.  Mr.  Snow 
and  I  addressed  them  and  prayed  with  them.  I 
vaccinated  about  twenty  of  them  and  gave  a  lancet  to 
Kaaia  to  carry  on  the  work.  .  .  .  Several  of  the 
ladies,  after  I  had  vaccinated  them,  made  a  graceful 
bow  and  said,  '  Thank  you,  sir,'  in  their  language. 

"  September  g. — We  arrived  at  Kusaie,  or  Strong's 
Island.  There  are  only  about  three  hundred  people  on 
the  island,  although  there  were  formerly  twelve  hundred, 
but  they  are  more  highly  civilized  than  any  other 
Micronesians  we  have  seen.  They  all  talk  a  little 
English,  and  the  children  from  six  years  old  and  upward 
read  and  sing  sweetly  and  are  very  polite.  They  have 
an  ordained  pastor  of  their  own  people,  the  Rev.  Libiak 
Sa.  The  island  is  about  three  thousand  feet  high,  and 
is  covered  with  verdure  to  the  summit. 

"  Leaving  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snow  to  renew  their  labors  on 
Kusaie,  we  proceeded  westward,  and  on  the  14th  touched 
at  Mugil,  where  Bonabcan  teachers  have  been  laboring 
with  remarkable  success.  The  chief  of  Mugil  and  the 
teachers  and  several  of  the  people  took  passage  with  us 
to  Bonabe,  where  we  arrived  September  1  5. 

My  visit  at  Bonabe  was  like  wandering  in  a  fairy 
land.  The  verdure  is  excessive.  We  cannot  get  through 
the  bush  except  along  the  paths.  The  people  go  around 
with  knives  to  cut  their  way.     Bread-fruit,  oranges,  taro, 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  119 

bananas,  pine-apples,  papaias,  arrowroot,  and  sago-palms 
abound;  also  the  durion,  a  forest  tree  loaded  with  pear- 
shaped  fruit,  nine  inches  long  by  five  inches  thick;  also 
the  shaddock,  cheremoya,  etc.  I  attended  the  examina- 
tion of  Mr.  Doane's  school.  He  has  taught  music  more 
scientifically  than  has  been  done  in  any  of  the  other 
mission  stations.  His  pupils  sing  by  note.  .  .  .  At 
the  Kiti  church  eight  couples  were  married.  I  tied  the 
knot  for  the  first  two  pairs,  who  were  chiefs.  We  passed 
near  Shalong,  Dr.  Gulick's  station,  and  saw  the  row  of 
cocoanuts  he  planted ;  we  dined  at  Shapalap,  one  of  Mr. 
Sturges'  stations.  Several  couples  were  married.  I 
married  the  first  couple,  the  king  of  Mugil  and  his  bride. 
We  organized  the  church  of  Mugil,  and  administered 
the  Lord's  Supper.  This  church  consists  of  ten  mem- 
bers. .  .  .  Brother  Doane  holds  on  to  his  work  and 
sends  his  feeble  wife  with  us  to  seek  a  cooler  climate. 
.  .  .  The  Lord  bless  these  dear  brethren  in  their 
solitary  labors." 

On  returning  from  Bonabe,  they  landed  their  friends 
of  Mugil  at  their  homes,  and  also  touched  at  Pingclap, 
where  they  landed  seven  natives  of  that  island,  who  had 
been  instructed  at  Bonabe.  They  called  at  Kusaie,  took 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snow  back  to  Ebon,  and  then  sailed  for 
Honolulu,  arriving  there  November  17,  after  an  absence 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  days.  The  following 
summary  is  taken  from  his  report: — 

"  The  Micronesian  nations  differ  from  each  other  in 
their  living,  their  manufactures,  and  in  their  civil  polity. 
The  Gilbert  Islands  yield  for  the  inhabitants  little  else 
than  the  pandanus  and  the  cocoanut,  while  bread- 
fruit, taro,  bananas  and  yams  and  many  other  varieties 
of  food  abound  on  the   Marshall   I  ;lands,  Kusaie    and 


120  MEMOIR    OF 

Bonabe.  The  Gilbert  islanders  are  the  lowest  in  manu- 
factures; their  little  canoes  are  made  by  sewing  together 
narrow  pieces  of  cocoanut  boards  with  sinnet;  their 
houses  are  simply  roofs  of  pandanus  thatch,  with  open 
sides;  their  clothing  (most  of  the  men  have  none)  a 
sort  of  Adam  and  Eve's  apron  made  of  cocoanut  leaves; 
their  beds  a  coarse  pandanus  mat,  and  another  like  it 
for  a  covering.  Their  weapons  of  war,  offensive  and 
defensive,  exhibit  more  skill  than  any  other  manu  ■ 
facture.  Their  helmet  and  coat  of  mail,  made  of  the 
cocoanut  fiber,  is  of  such  firm  and  substantial  fabric 
that  it  cannot  be  penetrated  by  their  spears;  and  I 
doubt  whether  a  pistol  ball  would  penetrate  it;  their 
spears,  too,  varying  from  a  foot  to  ten  or  twelve  feet 
in  length,  armed  with  sharks'  teeth,  or  with  the  poi- 
sonous stingaree,  are  fearful-looking  weapons. 

"The  Marshall  islanders  are  all  clad;  among  them  we 
find  the  bustle  added  to  the  fig-leaf  apron,  very  fine 
embroidered  mats,  nice  fans  and  curious  baskets  and 
satchels,  more  substantial  houses,  and  much  larger  canoes, 
almost  equal,  in  fact,  to  our  schooners.  And  when  we 
reach  Kusaie  and  Bonabe,  we  find  looms  for  weaving 
elegant  belts  of  thread  made  from  the  Manilla  banana, 
and  mats  for  carpet,  superior  to  that  we  import  from 
China. 

"  The  Gilbert  islanders  are  Democratic.  The  people 
meet  in  the  council-houses  and  discuss  and  decide  all 
measures  of  state.  This  is  eminently  the  case  till  we 
approach  the  north  end  of  the  group,  near  the  Marshall 
Islands;  there  they  have  imbibed  the  infection  of  royalty; 
but  even  there  the  chiefs  are  not  regarded  with  the  abject 
reverence  which  is  paid  to  them  in  the  groups  farther 
west.     In  Mille,  one  of  the  Marshall  Islands,  the  will  of 


REV    JVM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  121 

the  king  is  law.  He  has  forbidden  the  men  to  wear 
pantaloons,  and  none  dare  to  wear  them.  The  people, 
both  there  and  on  Kusaie  and  Bonabc,  are  all  serfs.  The 
chiefs  own  all  the  land.  When  a  common  native  ap- 
proaches his  chief,  he  comes  on  all  fours. 

"The  experience  we  have  had  during  the  voyage  im- 
presses me  with  the  belief  that  a  steam  launch  is  needed 
for  the  Morning  Star." 


CHAPTER     XII. 

THE   WAILUKU    HOME. 

"  How  beautiful  is  the  old  age  of  piety,  the  faith  and  devotion  that 
through  a  long  life  have  waited  upon  God,  merging  into  the  peace  of 
Christ's  coming  and  the  joy  of  the  heavenly  rest.  No  fears,  no  cares,  no 
doubts;  but  a  trust  in  God  so  calm  and  full  that  even  death  is  waited  for 
in  holy  expectation,  as  the  consolation  promised  to  Israel,  as  the  longed- 
for  vision  of  Christ."— -J.  P.   Thompson,  on  Simeon. 

The  quaint  old  mansion  of  Mr.  Alexander,  at  Wai- 
luku,  at  length  became  a  sort  of  ideal  home,  beautiful 
with  many  varieties  of  tropical  fruit  trees,  with  palms 
and  ornamental  shrubbery  and  flowering  vines,  delight- 
ful as  the  center  of  a  large  circle  of  children,  dwelling 
mostly  on  the  same  island,  and  as  a  place  of  unbounded 
hospitality,  and  attractive  by  the  magnetic  kindness,  the 
sunny  humor,  and  the  beauty  and  power  of  the  piety 
there  displayed.  In  this  home  the  desire  long  previously 
expressed  by  Mr.  Alexander,  for  a  reunion  of  his  family, 
was  at  length  fulfilled;  and  in  1873  a  gathering  was  held 
of  all  his  family,  the  first  and  the  only  complete  gather- 
ing of  them  ever  held,  then  twenty-nine  in  number, 
counting  parents,  children  and  grandchildren,  amongst 
whom  there  had  not  yet  been  a  single  death.  The 
hearts  of  all  overflowed  in  thanksgiving  to  God. 

A  yet  more  memorable  gathering  was  held  in  the  year 
1 88 1,  on  October  25,  at  Haiku,  for  his  golden  wedding, 
an  account  of  which,  kindly  prepared  by  Rev.  T.  Rouse, 
is  here  given: — 

"The  happy  event  on  Maui  the  past  week  has  been 
(122) 


RHV.     WM.    P.    ALEX  XI' ER.  123 

the    celebration   of  the    golden  wedding  of  the    veteran 

missionaries,  Rev.    \Y.  P.  and  Mrs.  Mary  A.   Alexander, 

the   25th  day  of  October  being  the  fiftieth  anniversary 

of  their  marriage.     The  event   was  announced   by  the 

previous  issue  of  elegant  cards  of  invitation   printed  in 

gold,  as  follows  : — 

1831-1881. 

GOLDEN    WEDDING. 

Rev.  and  Mrs.  W.  P.  Alexander 
will  receive  their  friends  at  the 

FIFTIETH    ANNIVERSARY 

of  their  marriage,  on  Tuesday  afternoon 

at  two  o'clock, 

October  25,  1881, 

at  the  residence  of  their  son, 

Rev.  James  M.  Alexander,  Haiku,  Maui. 

The  day  was  perfect.  The  beautiful  grounds  at  Glen- 
side  were  in  complete  order,  and  the  house  seemed 
embowered  in  vines  and  flowers  as  you  approached.  At 
the  appointed  hour  the  guests  began  to  arrive.  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Alexander  welcomed  them  at  the  door,  and 
they  passed  into  halls  and  parlors  that  were  like  a 
bower  of  green  and  gold.  Wreaths  of  fern  and  made, 
braided  with  golden-colored  flowers,  adorned  the  walls 
and  passages.  Over  one  entrance  you  were  greeted  with 
'  Aloha  '  and  '  Welcome,'  in  golden  letters.  Between  the 
parlors  was  an  ingenious  monogram  in  gold,  of  the  ini- 
tials of  the  bride  and  groom,  and  the  dates,  1831-1881, 
connected  by  fifty  small  gilt  stars.  On  the  wall  of  the 
back  parlor  was  the  appropriate  motto  in  green,  '  Chil- 
dren are  the  crown  of  old  men,  and  the  glory  of  children 
are  their  fathers.'  The  house  was  ablaze  with  golden 
colors,  and  every  table,  corner  and  bracket  was  brilliant 
with    flowers    and    foliage;  beneath   a  green  arch  across 


124  MEMOIR    OF 

one  corner  of  the  parlor  were  suspended  two  rows  of 
golden  stars.  The  upper  row,  of  eighteen  stars,  repre- 
sented the  children,  both  husbands  and  wives,  the  nine 
children  having  become  eighteen  by  marriage,  and  the 
under  row,  of  twenty-eight  lesser  stars,  represented  the 
grandchildren  living.  Directly  under  these  hung  the 
marriage  bell,  a  beautiful  structure  of  evergreen  and 
roses.  Beneath  this  canopy  of  beauty,  constructed  by 
the  loving  hands  of  their  children,  sat  the  handsome  old 
couple,  the  observed  and  loved  of  all  observers,  looking 
fresh  and  hearty,  and  as  if  they  were  good  for  the  dia- 
mond wedding  twenty-five  years  hence. 

"  Promptly  at  two  o'clock,  the  rooms  and  verandas 
being  filled  with  guests,  the  exercises  commenced.  They 
were  simple,  appropriate,  and  full  of  tender  feeling, 
enlivened  now  and  then  by  flashes  of  wit  and  touching 
references,  drawing  alternately  smiles  and  tears.  First 
came  an  anthem,  '  Let  every  heart  rejoice  and  sing.' 
Next  an  address  to  the  parents,  in  behalf  of  the  children, 
by  the  eldest  son,  Prof.  W.  D.  Alexander,  as  follows: — 

'"My  Dear  Parents:  It  is  no  common  occasion 
that  has  called  us  together  to-day  to  rejoice  in  the  won- 
derful goodness  of  our  heavenly  Father  to  us,  and  to 
present  you  with  these  little  tokens  of  the  gratitude  and 
affection  which  to  you  is  far  more  "  precious  than  the 
gold  which  perisheth." 

"  '  Fifty  years  ago  to-day,  on  the  banks  of  the  blue 
Susquehannah,  you  plighted  faith  in  a  union  "longer 
than  life  and  stronger  than  death,"  and  at  the  same  time 
consecrated  your  joint  lives  to  your  divine  Master's 
service. 

"'If  ever  "matches  are  made  in  Heaven,"  this  was 
one  over  which  angels  might  rejoice,  for  God's  benedic- 


REV,    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  125 

tion  rested  upon  it,  and  has  followed  it  ever  since.  It 
was  his  presence  felt,  though  unseen,  that  has  sustained 
you  through  all  the  trials  and  perils  you  have  been  called 
to  pass  through  in  all  the  horrors  of  that  first  voyage 
around  Cape  Horn;  again  when  you  took  your  lives  in 
your  hands  and  went  among  Marquesan  cannibals  ;  and 
through  all  your  lonely  and  self-denying  labors  as  mis- 
sionaries on  these  islands.  And  now  in  your  peaceful 
old  age,  rich  as  it  is  in  "  honor,  love,  obedience,  troops  of 
friends,"  the  same  divine  presence  seems  to  shed  a  radi- 
ance on  your  path  and  to  give  you  glimpses  of  the 
celestial  city,  such  as  Bunyan's  pilgrim  enjoyed  in  the 
land  of  Beulah. 

"  '  Like  Jacob  of  old,  who  said,  "  With  my  staff  I  passed 
over  this  Jordan;  and  now  I  am  become  two  bands,"  so 
now  you  can  call  the  roll  of  nine  children  by  marriage, 
and  twenty-eight  grandchildren,  living.  And  during 
these  fifty  years  death  has  entered  our  family  circle  but 
once,  when  it  snatched  away  a  grandchild  in  infancy. 
The  words  of  Tennyson  may  be  fitly  applied  to  each  of 
you: — 

"  I  see  thee  sitting,  crowned  with  good, 
A  central  warmth,  diffusing  bliss, 
In  glance  and  smile  and  clasp  and  kiss 
On  all  the  branches  of  thy  blood." 

'"As  you  look  back  on  the  past  half  century,  what 
wonderful  changes  you  must  call  to  mind.  You  have 
witnessed  nearly  all  the  steps  of  the  process  by  which 
this  land  has  been  transformed  from  heathen  barbarism 
to  Christian  civilization,  of  which  work  you  might  truly 
say  pars  magna  fnimus.  The  railroad,  the  telegraph, 
and  a  hundred  other  inventions  for  conquering  time  and 
space,  and  saving  human  labor,  have  all  originated  during 
your   life-time  ;    and   now,   instead  of  one  mail  a  year 


126  MEMOIR    OF 

reaching  you,  six  months  after  date,  around  Cape  Horn, 
a  week's  voyage  puts  us  in  immediate  connection  with 
the  whole  civilized  world.  What  would  we  not  give  to 
have  your  photographs  as  you  appeared  at  the  wedding 
ceremony  fifty  years  ago  to  compare  with  the  portraits 
painted  for  this  anniversary. 

" '  But  after  all,  these  wonderful  inventions  of  our  days 
do  not  produce  greater  souls  nor  nobler  characters;  they 
do  not  make  us  better  or  braver  or  wiser  than  our  fath- 
ers and  mothers. 

"  '  There  are  some  thoughts  and  feelings  too  sacred  and 
tender  to  be  fully  expressed  in  words.  Only  God  can 
know  all  that  you  have  done  for  each  of  us  from  infancy 
till  now.  Those  who  have  known  you  best  have  loved 
and  revered  you  the  most. 

"  '  By  example,  much  more  than  by  precept,  you  have 
taught  us  to  live  for  something  higher  than  what  the 
world  counts  success,  and  to  seek  the  favor  of  God  more 
than  the  praise  of  men.  We  thank  you  that  you  have 
taught  us  to  be  rather  than  to  seem,  to  abhor  all  that  is 
false  and  all  that  is  sordid  or  base;  and  to  cultivate 
charity,  forbearance,  humility,  and  other  old-fashioned 
virtues, 

"  And  thus  to  bear  without  abuse 
The  grand  old  name  of  gentleman, 
Defamed  by  every  charlatan 
And  soiled  by  all  ignoble  use. " 

"'  Accept,  dear  parents,  this  imperfect  expression  of 
our  gratitude  and  love.  May  your  last  days  be  your  best 
days,  and  "at  eventide  may  it  be  light,"  about  you,  till 

"  Hope  be  changed  to  glad  fruition, 
Faith  to  sight,  and  earth  to  Heaven."' 

"After  this  came  remarks  congratulatory  and  remi- 
niscent by  the  pastor  at   Makawao,  Rev.  T.  H-  Rouse, 


REV.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  127 

followed  by  prayer;  and  this  part  of  the  exercises  was 
concluded  by  an  original  song,  written  for  the  occasion 
by  Rev.  J.  M.  Alexander,  to  the  tune  of  Auld  Lang 
Syne,  which  was  rendered  as  a  solo  by  Miss  Sheeley,  of 
the  Seminary,  the  children  joining  in  the  chorus. 

"  '  Should  life's  long  pathway  be  forgot, 

Which  hand  in  hand  was  trod 
Through  fifty  years  of  wedded  love 

By  gracious  help  of  God, 
When  bright  and  golden  memories  shine 
From  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne  ? 

"'  With  strength  from  old  Kentucky  State, 
And  beauty  won  from  where 
Flow  Susquehannah's  waters  bright, 

Began  that  pathway  fair; 
And  sweet  and  tender  memories  shine 
From  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

"  '  Guided  by  holy  zeal  that  path 

Led  far  o'er  ocean  blue, 
Six  months  on  Av'rick's  rocking  deck 

To  islands  strange  and  new, 
And  long  the  hearts  of  love  did  pine 
For  friends  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

"  'Soon  from  Oahu's  shores  it  led 

To  where  Marquesans  grim 
Asked  the  first  child,  to  make  him  king, 

Or  else  for  eating  him; 
And  strange  and  weird  some  memories  shine 
From  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

"  '  Again  o'er  seas  it  led  to  give 

Waioli  joy  and  hope, 
To  light  Lahainaluna's  hill, 

And  bless  Wailuku's  slope; 
And  holy,  blessed  memories  shine 
From  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

"'  Long  has  the  joyous  pathway  been 

O'er  lands  and  ocean  blue; 
And  now  its  wayside  flowers  of  love 

Yield  fruits  of  golden  hue; 
And  riper,  sweeter  blessings  shine 
Than  those  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

"  'While  now  the  tread  of  age  grows  weak, 
And  gray  the  brows  enfold, 


128  MEMOIR  OF 

The  sweet  and  tender  love  of  youth 

Has  ne'er  "grown  dim  or  old;" 
For  now  the  hearts  more  warmly  shine 
Than  in  the  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

"  'That  path,  when  viewed  through  fifty  years 
Of  care  for  children  nine, 
And  holy  toil  for  Heaven's  cause, 
"  Seems  all  transformed  "  to  shine, 
For  holy  light  did  e'er  enshrine 
Those  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

"  '  We  praise  the  Lord,  whose  hand  has  led 

Through  all  this  path  of  love  ; 
Long  may  he  lead  through  scenes  of  earth 

And  to  the  home  above, 
Where  brighter  joys  will  ever  shine 
Than  those  of  Auld  Lang  Syne.' 

"Then  followed  another  service  of  a  different  kind, 
but  most  touching  and  beautiful.  It  was  the  baptism, 
by  the  honored  father,  of  his  twenty-eighth  and  twenty- 
ninth  grandchildren,  a  son  and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Henry 
P.  Baldwin  and  Rev.  James  M.  Alexander  respectively 
(Frederick  Chambers  Baldwin  and  Sarah  Eva  Alexander) 
The  patriarchal  old  man,  the  lovely  children,  his  tender 
words,  the  sweet  consecration,  was  a  spectacle  that 
moved  every  heart,  and  appropriately  crowned  the  exer- 
cises of  this  happy  day. 

"  Congratulations  were  now  in  order,  and  many  were 
the  hearty  shakes  and  loving  words  and  tender  wishes 
for  health  and  prosperity,  that  were  showered  on  the 
happy  couple  by  neighbors,  friends,  guests,  children,  and 
grandchildren,  young  and  old. 

"  Refreshments  followed.  A  table  with  cloth  draped 
in  gold  was  loaded  with  everything  that  the  season 
afforded.  Conspicuous  was  a  large  bride's  loaf  beauti- 
fully decorated  with  a  golden  monogram,  with  the  dates 
183 1  and  1 88 1.  This  was  flanked  by  two  others  of  the 
same  kind,  while  numerous  frosted  loaves  brought  up 
the  rear,  with  sandwiches,  fruit,  lemonade,  tea  and  coffee 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  129 

in  gilded  cups,  to  all  of  which  ample  justice  was  done 
by  the  numerous  guests,  numbering  over  eighty.  During 
the  whole  afternoon  one  great  center  of  attraction  was 
a  table  standing  near  the  bridal  corner  containing  golden 
presents  from  the  children  and  their  friends.  First  was 
a  gold  watch  for  the  honored  father,  an  elaborate  and 
beautiful  piece  of  work,  richly  chased  on  both  covers, 
and  surmounted  on  one  side  by  an  elegant  monogram 
of  the  father's  initials.  On  the  inside  was  the  name, 
date  and  occasion.  For  the  bride  was  also  a  lady's 
watch  richly  chased  and  ornamented,  inlaid  with  jet,  and 
engraved  with  name  and  date  like  the  other.  This 
was  accompanied  with  a  heavy  gold  chain  of  fine  work- 
manship. Both  watches  were  inclosed  in  rich  and 
highly  ornamented  cases,  and  were  as  perfect  of  their 
kind  as  could  be  found.  There  was  also  a  golden  cane- 
head  for  the  father,  beautifully  finished  and  lettered  with 
his  initials.  Another  valuable  gift  was  a  pair  of  portraits 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alexander,  life  size,  excellent  likenesses. 
They  were  painted  at  Wailuku  by  Mrs.  Gillan,  an  accom- 
plished artist  from  California.  On  account  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  transportation    the  portraits  were  not  brought. 

"  The  present  from  the  grandchildren  consisted  of  a 
large  photograph  album  in  velvet  and  gold,  very  beauti- 
ful, to  be  filled  with  their  pictures.  An  engrossed  copy 
of  the  addresses  and  poems  read  on  the  occasion,  in  an 
ornamented  cover,  with  the  proper  names  and  dates,  was 
also  presented  to  the  honored  pair  at  the  close  of  the 
exercises. 

"  It  was  not  expected  that  presents  would  be  given 
outside  of  the  family;  but  the  table  contained  a  consid- 
erable number  of  articles,  useful,  ornamental  and  elegant, 
mostly  gold,  with  some  coins  and  pictures,  the  gifts  of 
loving  friends,  present  and  absent.  .  .  . 
9 


130  MEMOIR  OF 

"  As  evening  drew  on  the  guests  reluctantly  departed, 
and  thus  closed  this  beautiful  anniversary,  the  like  of 
which  had  not  occurred  in  these  islands,  or  among  any 
other  of  the  mission  families,  though  a  few  days  only 
were  wanting  to  complete  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the 
marriage  of  Rev.  D.  B.  Lyman,  of  Hilo,  another  of  the 
missionary  Fathers. 

"The  children,  children-in-law  and  grandchildren  of 
Father  and  Mother  Alexander,  who  are  living,  number 
forty-four,  thirty  of  whom  were  present.  The  only  death 
among  them  in  fifty  years  is  that  of  one  grandchild." 

In  1882  the  Wailuku  churches,  native  and  foreign,  were 
blessed  with  a  revival  under  the  labors  of  Mr.  Hallen- 
beck,  introduced  and  assisted  by  Rev.  A.  O.  Forbes,  the 
Secretary  of  the  Hawaiian  Board.  Mr.  Alexander 
greatly  rejoiced  in  this  good  work,  and  labored  in  the 
union  meetings,  every  night,  as  well  as  in  visitation 
through  the  community.  His  influence  had  extended 
from  the  native  churches  throughout  the  foreign  com- 
munity. He  was  by  all  revered  as  a  rare  friend  and 
counselor,  and  was  generally  affectionately  known  as 
"  Father  Alexander." 

Besides  him  there  now  remained  only  one  missionary 
brother  (Rev.  L.  Lyons),  and  besides  his  wife  only  four 
ladies,  of  the  company  of  the  fourth  re-inforcement, 
that  came  to  the  islands  on  the  Averick  in  1832.  His 
own  health  was  becoming  precarious.  In  1880  he  had 
once  been  suddenly  taken  dangerously  ill;  his  chil- 
dren had  only  saved  his  life  by  chartering  a  steamer 
and  sending  him  for  the  best  medical  help  to  Honolulu. 
He  sometimes  spoke  of  death  as  near,  and  expressed 
rare  delight  at  the  prospect  of  soon  being  in  the  actual 
presence    of   his    Lord.     "  Now,"   he   would    sometimes 


REJr.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  131 

remark,  "  is  our  salvation  nearer  than  when  we  be- 
lieved. I  shall  soon  see  the  Lord."  Nearly  all  the 
missionary  Fathers  in  the  islands  were  now  ^one 
Their  departure,  one  by  one,  had  been  like  the  passing 
away  of  an  order  different  from  the  common  mould  of 
mankind.  The  words  with  which  the  aicient  psalmist 
sang  of  his  delight  in  the  "saints,"  as  "the  excellent  of 
the  earth,"  as  though  they  were  the  nobility  of  the  earth 
were  true  of  them,  as  they  lingered  among  the  increas- 
ing foreign  population  of  the  islands,  conspicuous  by 
their  white  beards  and  gray  heads,  delightful  with  the 
ripened  sweetness  and  beauty  of  life-long  consecration 
to  Christ,  and  elevated  above  the  grasping  greed  of  the 
multitude  by  self-sacrificing  benevolence.  The  following 
lines,  written  at  this  time  for  the  jubilee  of  the  pastorate 
of  Rev.  L.  Lyons,  are  quoted  as  appropriate  to  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  as  expressing  the  feelings 
with  which  he  and  the  other  missionary  Fathers  were 
regarded: — 

"  Linger  evening,  with  your  glories, 
On  Hawaii's  mountains  grand, 
While  the  deepening  shadows  darken 
All  the  fading  lower  land. 

"  On  those  mighty  domes,  that  firmly 

Stand  through  storms  and  earthquake  throes, 
Brightly  pour  your  purpling  twilight, 
Gild  their  dazzling  crowns  of  snows. 

"Heaven  prolong  the  brighter  evening 
Of  the  self-forgetting  love, 
That  o'er  selfish  labor  towers, 
As  the  mountains  tower  above; 

"That  as  steadfastly  endureth, 

By  the  help  of  God's  right  hand, 
Through  the  storms  of  sin  and  evil, 
As  the  rock-ribbed  mountains  stand ; 

"  That  through  fifty  years  of  toiling, 
'Neath  the  shifting  clouds  and  light, 
Ever  made  sweet  songs  of  gladness, 
Like  the  mountain  streamlets  bright. 


132  MEMOIR  OF 

"Through  whose  shepherd  care  the  erring 
Oft  came  to  the  Saviour's  rest, 
As  the  roaming  flocks  find  shelter 
On  the  lofty  mountain's  breast. 

"  May  the  ev.-ning  light  long  brighten 
Such  rare  lingering  lives  of  love, 
Stars  gleam  forth  as  darkness  gathers, 
Till  the  dawn  shines  from  above; 

"Till  before  the  Lo^e  far  higher, 
Shining  from  the  dome  above, 
Sweeter  songs  of  praise  are  warbled, 
And  bright  crowns  are  cast  in  love. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

SICKNESS    AND    DEATH. 

"  Made  perfect  ihrough  suffering." 

ALONG  cherished  plan  of  visiting  his  son  Samuel,  in 
California,  led  Mr.  Alexander  and  his  wife  to  leave 
Wailuku  on  the  26th  of  April,  1 884.  A  large  company  of 
friends  and  relatives  gathered  at  Kahului  to  bid  them 
farewell,  almost  fearing  that  one  or  both  of  them  would 
never  return.  The  voyage  from  Honolulu  to  San  Fran- 
cisco was  comfortably  made.  Three  months  were  then 
delightfully  spent  at  their  son's  home  in  the  invigorating 
climate  of  Oakland.  Mr.  Alexander  took  walks  every 
day,  sometimes  going  a  distance  of  two  miles,  and  was 
in  better  health  and  spirits  than  for  several  years  pre- 
vious, until  his  last  sickness  suddenly  occurred.  The 
history  of  this  sickness  is  here  given  by  extracts  from 
letters: — 

" July  jt,  r88/f. — I    have  only  time  to  write  a  line  to 

say  that  father  is pilikia-loa  (in  a  very  critical  condition). 

.     .     .      He  suffered  terribly  in  surgical  treatment  by 

a  doctor  from  San   Francisco  (which  treatment  was  a 

blunder,  and  occasioned  internal  inflammation.) 

"August  10,  Sabbath. — We  are  waiting  for  the  doctor 
this  morning  to  hear  what  he  will  say  about  father.  He 
is  sleeping  quietly  now,  but  I  think  it  may  be  the  effect 
of  opiates.  Last  evening  was  an  awful  time  of  suffering. 
He  only  writhed  an  J  groaned  in  agony,  and  besought 
the  Lord  to  deliver  him.      He  felt  that  there  was  no  hope 

(133)    • 


134  MEMOIR  OF 

of  his  recovery,  and  said,  'My  life  is  strong  within  me; 
what  an  awful  time  of  suffering  is  before  me.  Pray  the 
Lord  to  deliver  me.'  .  .  .  The  doctor  gave  medi- 
cine to  relieve  the  pain,  which  put  him  to  sleep;  and  he 
slept  nearly  all  night.  This  morning  he  woke  up, 
changed  all  his  clothes,  kissed  us  all,  and  is  now  asleep 
again.  .  .  .  We  have  several  times  gone  down  to 
the  borders  of  the  grave  with  him,  and  given  up  all  hope; 
and  then  he  has  revived  so  surprisingly,  and  enjoyed  his 
food,  and  planned  for  his  journey  home,  that  we  have 
confidently  expected  his  recovery.  For  three  weeks  now 
Sam  has  slept  on  a  cot  beside  him,  and  waited  on  him 
nights,  and  mother  has  sat  beside  him  days."  (Convers- 
ing with  his  wife  about  the  probability  of  his  not  re- 
covering, he  said,  "  I  can  truly  say  to  God,  Thy  will  be 
done.") 

".  .  .  P.  M. — We  have  all  been  to  see  father,  who 
is  easier,  and  Sam  had  us  sing  a  few  hymns.  I  asked 
him  how  he  felt;  'Oh,  he  said,  'comfortable.  I  love  the 
Lord,  because  he  has  heard  my  supplication.  Those 
beautiful  psalms  of  David  seem  to  have  been  written  for 
me  and  for  ten  thousand  others.' 

"  .  .  .  .  Father's  pain  came  on  again  very  severely 
at  eleven  and  twelve  Sabbath  night.  Sam  coaxed  him 
to  take  another  opiate,  which  made  him  quite  comforta- 
ble. The  doctor  says  no  man  could  suffer  more  than  he 
has  already.  The  day  his  sickness  commenced  he  said, 
'The  horizon  is  closing  around  me.'  He  has  perfect 
faith  in  answers  to  prayer.  During  last  week  he  was 
constantly  praying  to  God  in  his  paroxysms  of  pain  to 
deliver  him  from  his  anguish,  and  when  he  was  free  from 
pain  a  little  while  he  would  say,  '  This  poor  man  cried 
and  the   Lord  heard   him.'     During  all  his  sufferings  he 


REV.    \VM.   P.  ALEXANDER.  135 

has  been  so  patient.  Once  when  I  was  in  the  room  I 
said,  '  We  feel  so  sorry  for  you,  father;  I  wish  we  could 
bear  some  of  the  pain  for  you.'  He  answered  with  a 
smile,  '  It  has  been  sent  where  it  is  most  needed  I 
think.'  Once  he  said,  '  Sometimes  I  am  on  the  hill-tops, 
then  again  down  in  the  deep  valley  of  humiliation.' 
Sometimes  when  we  expressed  our  deep  sorrow  for  the 
terrible  agony  he  was  experiencing,  he  would  answer 
that  it  was  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  glory  which 
should  be  revealed  hereafter,  and  that  these  light 
afflictions  were  but  for  a  moment.  M.  J.  A." 

"August  11,  Monday. — The  doctor  told  Sam  yesterday 
morning  that  he  would  probably  last  several  days  longer; 
but  last  night  he  had  a  severe  chill  and  most  agonizing 
pain  at  the  same  time.  .  .  .  The  doctor  found  him 
so  much  weaker  to-day  that  he  says  he  cannot 
possibly  live  many  hours  longer.  Oh,  it  will  be  a  blessed 
relief  for  the  dear  man,  when  his  spirit  passes  from  this 
life  into  the  blessed  life  beyond !  .  .  .  Monday  afternoon 
when  Sam  was  expressing  great  sympathy  for  him,  he 
replied,  '  Sam,  it  is  harder  to  witness  suffering  than  it  is 
to  bear  it.'  He  talked  a  great  deal  about  the  love  of 
Christ.  '  Oh,'  he  said,  '  it  is  wonderful ! '  I  think 
he  understood  that  element  in  God's  character  better 
than  others,  because  his  own  heart  was  so  full  of  love 
for  those  around  him.  His  wife,  his  children  and  his 
grandchildren,  he  loved  with  every  fiber  of  his  being, 
and  he  still  had  room  in  his  heart  for  many  others.  He 
was  overheard  in  conversation  with  one  of  his  grand- 
children telling  how  once  when  riding  to  preach  at 
Waihee,  thinking  of  his  sermon,  he  had  such  an  over- 
powering sense  of  the  love  of  Christ  that  he  was  obliged 
to  dismount  from  his  horse  and  lie  upon  the  ground  to 
recover  himself.  M.  A." 


136  MEMOIR    OF 

".  .  .  .  Tuesday  morning. — Father  sent  his  love 
to  all  his  children  at  the  islands,  but  he  seldom  talks. 
He  hears  everything.  Sam  said  to  him,  '  Dear  father, 
to  see  if  he  was  insensible,  and  he  heard  him  instantly 
and  put  up  his  arms  and  clasped  them  around  his  neck 
and  said,  '  My  dear  son.'  Then  he  called  all  the  rest 
that  were  in  the  room  at  the  same  time  and  embraced 
and  kissed  them.  It  does  seem  to  me  there  never  was 
so  lovely  a  man.  His  grandchildren  F.  and  L.  came 
and  he  kissed  and  blessed  them,  saying,  '  The  blessing  of 
the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  be  with  you; 
but  he  was  too  feeble  to  talk  more. 

".  .  .  .  I  have  come  from  the  gates  of  the  holy 
city.  All  day  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  linger  near 
your  blessed  father's  dying  bed.  When  I  first  entered 
the  room  and  stood  as  it  were  upon  holy  ground,  your 
brother  said,  '  Father,  E.  W.  is  here;'  he  turned  his  eyes 
already  dim  to  earthly  things,  and  put  up  his  arms  and 
kissed  me  twice  so  sweetly  and  tenderly.  I  said,  '  My 
own  dear  father  (Rev.  R.  Armstrong)  waits  to  welcome 
you,'  and  in  a  sweet,  faint  voice  came  these  words,  '  Yes, 
his  God  and  our  God  will  be  waiting  for  me.'  Words 
were  very  few  after  that,  for  the  life-tide  seemed  ebb- 
ing fast.  ...  It  was  one  of  the  most  impressive 
sights  I  ever  witnessed,  this  wonderful  triumph  of  faith, 
the  soul  glowing  with  love  to  God  and  man,  when  the 
veil  of  flesh  was  rent.  Never  once  did  he  doubt  the 
tender  Shepherd's  hand  in  leading  him  through  the 
dark  valley.  I  felt  God's  holy  presence  in  that  room, 
and  in  all  my  life  I  shall  know  the  power  of  a  living 
faith.  Mrs.  E.  Weaver." 

".     .     .     .      Tuesday. — The  doctor  has  just  been  here, 
and  says  he  will  not  probably  live  through  the  day.     He 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  137 

lies  back  breathing  hard.  He  is  so  weak  that  the  least 
thing  exhausts  him.  Yet  his  mind  is  perfectly  clear, 
and  he  hears  everything  that  is  said  to  him.  .  .  . 
His  pains  have  all  left  him,  and  he  is  peaceful  and 
happy,  looking  forward  with  Christian  hope  and  joy  to 
the  home  which  Jesus  has  prepared  for  all  who  love 
him.     .     .     . 

"  While  I  write  in  this  my  room,  our  dear  old  father  is 
breathing  his  last.  That  blessed  old  man  is  even  now  in 
the  '  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,'  and  a  long, 
da.k,  dreary  valley  he  has  found  it.  After  an  infinite 
amount  of  suffering  his  dear  face  looks  calm  and  quictj 
and  as  I  turn  to  look,  it  seems  almost  to  shine  like 
an  angel's.  .  .  .  What  a  joy  it  has  been  to  minister 
to  his  every  want,  and  do  what  I  could  to  help  him;  and 
then  the  blessed  words  of  love  and  hope  that  I  have 
heard  him  utter  in  night-watches!  I  never  knew  before 
the  depths  of  love  there  were  in  his  nature ;  he  has  been 
the  sunshine  and  joy  of  our  house.  .  .  .  The  poor 
old  man  was  so  happy  and  well  before  his  accident.  He 
said  that  he  had  not  felt  so  well  for  many  years  previous. 
Only  about  five  weeks  ago  he  officiated  at  the  grave  of 
our  dear  little  Clarence.  We  little  thought  then  how 
soon  he  too  would  be  placed  side  by  side  with  the  little 
boy.  S.  T.  A." 

"  Wednesday,  August  ij. — The  long  conflict  is  over. 
Father  lies  by  me  at  rest,  not  father  though,  he  is  above 
with  a  crown  of  victory.  Oh,  what  a  terrible  long  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death  he  had  to  pass  through  to 
victory  !  .  .  .  He  kept  his  consciousness  to  the  last, 
but  his  power  of  speech  failed.  .  .  .  Mother  repeated 
the  words,  '  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions.' 
'  Come.  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly.'     .     .     .     He  lingered 


138  MEMOIR  OF 

on  until  twenty  minutes  past  eleven  this  morning.  Once 
this  morning  he  seemed  to  recognize  mother;  but  he  did 
not  speak  to  her.  He  breathed  very  peacefully  at  the 
last,  the  breath  growing  fainter  and  fainter,  until  we 
hardly  knew  when  he  ceased  to  breathe. 

".  .  .  .  Seventy-nine  years  of  labor  are  over; 
the  bitter  anguish  of  his  sickness  is  over;  and  now  he  is 
glorified.  He  is  meeting  with  his  brothers  and  sister 
Ann,  with  his  old  missionary  brothers,  and  with  our  dear 
little  Clarence,  and,  better  than  all,  with  his  blessed 
Saviour,  whom  he  loved  so  well.  ...  A  man  of 
God  has  gone  to  glory.  .  .  .  Oh,  that  we  could  have 
one  glimpse  beyond   the  dark  shadow!  S.  T.  A." 

"  August  i ./,  Thursday. — The  funeral  was  to-day  at 
two  r.  M.  Father  looked  so  natural  and  peaceful.  The 
sunshine  that  always  shone  in  his  face  had  not  departed 
when  he  lay  in  his  coffin.  .  .  .  The  services  com- 
menced by  the  choir  sweetly  and  softly  singing,  '  We 
Shall  Meet  in  the  Sweet  By  and  By.'  Dr.  McLean 
then  read  Matt.  25  :  31-41,  also  Rev.  7:13  to  the  end, 
and  another  passage  about  the  marriage  supper.  The 
choir  sang  '  Rock  of  Ages.'  Drs.  Beckwith,  Frear,  and 
McLean  then  made  very  touching  addresses,  and  Dr. 
McLean  offered  prayer.  The  choir  then  sang  the  words, 
'Asleep  in  Jesus.'  .  .  .  '  He  being  dead  yet  speak- 
eth.'  What  an  inspiration  such  a  life  and  death,  to  live 
as  he  did,  and  to  die  the  death  of  the  righteous! 

"  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from 
henceforth;  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest 
from  their  labors;  and  their  works  do  follow  them.' 
Rev.  14  :  13. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

MEMORIAL    DISCOURSES    AND    TESTIMO- 
NIALS. 

REMARKS  AT  THE  FUNERAL,  BY  REV.  WALTER  FREAR. 

I  AM  very  glad  to  add  my  brief  word  of  testimony 
to  the  exalted  character  and  memorable  services  of 
our  beloved  Father  Alexander. 

During  the  past  fourteen  years  I  have  known  him 
well;  and  the  more  I  have  come  to  know  him  the  more 
I  have  learned  to  love  and  honor  him.  I  have  known  of 
his  work  and  of  his  influence  and  of  the  esteem  in  which 
he  has  been  held  among  the  Hawaiian  people,  to  whose 
salvation  he  devoted  himself  in  his  young  manhood,  and 
for  whose  spiritual  and  temporal  welfare  he  has  given 
the  energies  of  his  life. 

For  fifty- two  years  he  has  not  ceased  to  labor  for  the 
good  of  that  people,  whom  he  loved  with  all  the  large- 
ness of  his  nature,  and  with  a  rare  and  cordial  fidelity. 
He  identified  himself  fully  with  their  interests,  took  them 
up  into  his  affection,  was  sympathetic  and  without  con- 
straint in  his  relations  to  them  ;  and  they  in  turn  had  for 
him  a  warm  and  unreserved  aloJia.  They  loved  him  as 
a  father  and  friend.  They  felt  as  they  would  not  always 
feel  toward  those  who  labored  for  them,  that  he  under- 
stood them.  They  sought  his  counsel  freely  and  looked 
to  him  trustingly  for  guidance.  By  his  open-hcartedness 
and  genial  manner  he  was  specially  fitted  by  nature,  as 

(139) 


i4o  MEMOIR    OF 

well  as  by  grace,  to  win  the  confidence  of  Hawaiians. 
He  held  that  confidence  to  the  end,  even  against  the 
distrust  of  superior  races,  that  has  been  growing  in  the 
native  mind.  He  continued  his  labors  for  them  and 
retained  his  nearness  to  them  to  the  last. 

Father  Alexander  has  been,  indeed,  one  of  the  fathers 
in  the  Hawaiian  Israel ;  one  of  that  goodly  company 
who  went  to  dark  Hawaii,  and  have  left  an  enduring  name, 
a  name  written  as  it  were  in  letters  of  gold,  on  those 
beautiful  isles,  and  known  and  read  of  all  men.  Those 
were  noble  men  and  women,  who  took  their  lives  in  their 
hand,  left  kindred  and  friends  far  behind,  and  went  forth 
into  that  isolated  and  benighted  part  of  the  earth.  They 
were  earnest.  They  were  consecrated  to  Christ  and  his 
cause.  They  were,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word, 
grand  characters.  I  have  known  them  but  to  venerate 
them.  They  had  their  individualities  and  idiosyncrasies; 
but  they  laid  at  the  Master's  feet  a  noble  service.  By 
faith  they  removed  mountains  of  difficulty,  and  wrought 
wonderful  works  of  righteousness  among  an  amazingly 
degraded  and  polluted  people.  Through  their  toils  and 
tears  and  prayers  a  nation  was  born  as  it  were  in  a  day. 
Out  of  my  professional  acquaintance  with  them  has 
grown  the  feeling,  that  they  would  be  a  specially 
crowned  and  shining  company  in  Heaven.  They  take 
rank  among  those  of  whom  the  world  is  not  worthy. 

With  our  modern  facilities  of  travel  there  are  no 
mission  fields  so  remote  and  isolated  as  were  the 
Hawaiian  Islands  in  those  early  days,  and  no  mission- 
aries to-day  experience  quite  the  discomforts  that  those 
fathers  and  mothers  of  this  mission  cheerfully  endured. 
Among  those  discomforts  were  such  things  as  using  a 
hatchet  to  chop  the  caked  flour  that  reached  them  from 
around  the  Horn. 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  141 

It  has  fallen  to  my  lot,  I  may  say  it  has  been  my 
privilege,  to  attend  the  last  sickness  and  obsequies  of 
many  of  those  heroes  and  heroines  of  faith.  I  proba- 
bly have  been  the  pastor  of  more  of  them  than  any 
other  one.  The  first  of  them  to  go  to  his  rest  under  my 
ministry  was  that  mist  excellent,  spiritually-minded 
man,  good  Deacon  Amos  Cooke,  the  father  of  the  lady 
of  this  beautiful  home.  Then  there  were  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Judd,  Father  Parker,  Mother  Thurston,  Mrs.  Judge 
Andrews,  Mrs.  Hall,  Mrs.  Johnstone,  Mrs.  Chamberlain, 
Miss  Ogden,  and  others,  with  perhaps  twenty  or  more  of 
their  descendants.  I  cherish  their  memory  as  among 
the  choicest  treasures  of  my  life. 

Our  beloved  Father  Alexander  went  to  the  islands  in 
what  is  called  the  fourth  re-inforcement  of  the  mission  sent 
out  by  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  This  was  in  1832.  In  Jhe 
company  which  sailed  with  him  on  the  long  voyage 
around  Cape  Horn  were  Richard  Armstrong,  whose 
widow  and  daughter  are  here  with  us  to-day,  and  who 
for  years  was  at  the  head  of  the  Department  of 
Public  Instruction  in  the  Hawaiian  Government,  and 
Lorenzo  Lyons,  the  poet  of  Hawaii,  who  has  written 
most  of  the  hymns  sung  in  the  churches,  and  Cochran 
Forbes,  father  of  the  present  Secretary  of  the  Hawaiian 
Board  of  Missions,  and  David  B.  Lyman,  so  long  at  the 
head  of  the  Hilo  Boarding-school  for  Boys,  and  J.  S. 
Emerson,  H.  R.  Hitchcock,  with  their  wives  and 
others.  At  least  seven  or  eight  of  this  re-inforcement 
are  still  living. 

They  reached  the  islands  a  few  years  before  that  wide- 
sweeping  and  wonderful  revival,  in  which  the  whole 
nation  turned  to  God,  and  when  in  six  years  not  less 
than   twenty-seven  thousand  persons  were  added  to  the 


1 42  MEMOIR  OF 

churches.  Into  this  blessed  work,  William  P.  Alexan- 
der, then  less  than  thirty  years  of  age,  entered  with  all 
the  ardor  of  his  soul,  and  God  gave  him  many  souls  as  the 
seals  of  his  ministry.  As  missionary  at  Waioli,  Kauai, 
1 834- 1 843,  as  Principal  of  the  Lahainaluna  Seminary, 
Maui,  1 843- 1 856,  as  pastor  and  preacher  at  Wailuku, 
1 856-1 884,  and  instructor  thereof  native  ministers,  until 
the  Theological  Seminary  was  established  in  Honolulu, 
he  labored  incessantly  and  with  cheerful  faithfulness. 

He  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  education  of  Hawaiians. 
Many  of  them  have  looked  up  to  him  as  their  beloved 
instructor.  Many  of  the  Hawaiian  pastors  and  mission- 
aries to  Micronesia  received  their  training  at  his  hand, 
and  think  of  him  with  loving  regard.  He  was  a  trustee 
of  Oahu  College  from  its  beginning  until  1876,  when  he 
resigned  and  his  son,  Prof.  W.  D.  Alexander,  was  elected 
to  fill  his  place.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Hawaiian 
Board  of  Missions  until  his  death,  and  was  ever  ready 
for  every  good  work. 

In  all  his  interests  he  was  thoroughly  identified  with 
the  islands,  and  his  large  family  of  children  have  been 
wedded  into  and  have  grown  up  into  the  island  life,  and 
are  a  part  of  the  best  strength  of  the  kingdom.  His 
island-born  grandchildren  number  over  thirty,  and  he 
was  happy  in  them  all. 

His  many  excellent  traits  of  character  have  been 
already  dwelt  upon.  He  always  had  a  smile  of  greeting. 
His  hand-shake  was  cordial.  It  was  ever  a  sunny  pleas- 
ure to  meet  him  ;  fair-minded,  equable  in  temperament, 
with  a  kindly  twinkle  of  good  humor  in  his  eye,  he  was 
one  who  always  accepted  the  situation  pleasantly,  what- 
ever might  be  the  portent  of  discouragement  or  trial. 
He  understood  the  Hawaiians.      He  knew  their  weak- 


REV    JVM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  143 

nesscs,  their  foibles  and  their  needs.  He  also  appreciated 
their  good  traits,  their  genial  nature,  their  hospitality 
and  generosity,  and  their  susceptibility  to  good  influ- 
ences. 

He  rests  from  his  labors  and  his  works  do  follow 
him.  He  has  fought  a  good  fight.  He  has  finished 
his  course;  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  him  a  crown 
of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge, 
shall  give  him  at  that  day. 

OBITUARY. 

BY    REV.    S.    E.    BISHOP. 

Departed  this  life,  August  12,  1884,  at  the  residence  of  his 
son,  S.  T.  Alexander,  Esq  ,  in  Oakland,  California,  the  Rev. 
William  Patterson  Alexander,  aged  seventy-nine  years. 

We  have  thus  to  record  the  decease  of  one  among  us  whose 
"  good  gray  head  all  men  knew,"  and  many  greatly  loved;  one 
whose  name  stands  with  Bingham,  Armstrong  and  Coan,  as 
the  most  eminent  and  influential  among  the  missionaries  of  the 
A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 

Father  Alexander  was  of  the  strong  Scotch-Irish  stock,  born 
in  Paris,  Kentucky,  July  25,  1805.  His  father,  a  wise  and 
godly  Presbyterian  elder,  he  grew  into  that  genial,  honorable, 
conscientious,  manly,  and  consecrated  character  which  we  so 
well  knew.     .     .     . 

In  1828  he  resolved  to  go  on  a  mission  to  the  heathen. 
Planning  to  go  to  Palestine,  he  began  the  study  of  Syriac,  but 
in  1 83 1  accepted  an  appointment  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  to 
which  the  American  Board  were  then  sending  the  strongest 
available  men.  .  .  .  October  25,  at  Harrisburg,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  McKinney,  and  (in  a  company  of 
nineteen  missionary  passengers,  including  himself  and  his  wife) 
sailed  from  New  Bedford,  November  26,  1831,  on  the  Averick, 
Captain  Swain,  and  reached  Honolulu  in  May,  1832.  The 
writer,  "then  five  years  old,  distinctly  remembers  this  large  group 
of  missionaries  as  they  assembled  in  the  parlors  of  Mr.  Bing- 
ham's house.  Young,  vigorous,  able,  devoted,  bringing  cheer 
and  strength  to  the  veteran  pioneers,  they  have  in  their  turn 
become  aged  and  are  passing  away.     .     .     . 


144  MEMOIR  OF 

In  August,  1833,  Messrs.  Alexander,  Armstrong  and  Parker 
arrived  at  Nuuhiwa,  where  they  passed  eight  months  among  the 
cannibals,  and  then  left  the  Marquesas  work  to  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  whose  missionaries  were  then  on  their 
way  thither.  Mr.  Alexander,  in  1834,  was  located  at  Waioli, 
Kauai,  where  he  spent  nine  years  of  successful  labor,  and  in 
the  exposures  of  pioneer  work  contracted  asthma,  which  con- 
tinued through  his  life.  Thence  in  1843  he  removed  to 
Lahainaluna  Seminary,  where  he  labored  until  1856,  when  by 
medical  advice  he  resigned ;  but  in  the  November  following  he 
became  pastor  of  the  Wailuku  church,  where  he  has  continued 
to  reside  twenty-seven  years.  In  addition  to  pastoral  labors, 
in  1863  he  commenced  a  Theological  School,  in  which  were  in 
all  sixty-seven  pupils,  more  than  half  of  whom  entered  the 
ministry,  and  did  good  work  in  the  native  churches  and  in 
Micronesia.  In  1874  the  school  was  removed  to  Honolulu, 
passing  in  1877  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Dr.  Hyde. 

Mr.  Alexander  resigned  the  Wailuku  pastorate  in  1867,  but 
continued  active  in  many  missionary  labors  even  while  the  in- 
firmities of  age  increased  upon  him.  In  1871  and  1872  he 
successively  visited  the  missions  at  the  Marquesas  Islands  and 
Micronesia  in  the  Morning  Star  as  agent  of  the  Boards. 

Father  Alexander's  eminence  as  a  missionary  was  not  due  to 
gifts  of  eloquence,  although  he  was  an  impressive,  clear  and 
most  instructive  preacher.  He  was  especially  great  in  counsel 
and  executive  efficiency.  As  an  instructor  he  probably  had  no 
equal  among  his  brethren.  To  the  writer  his  most  remarkable 
combination  of  qualities  seemed  to  have  been  the  rare  and 
difficult  union  of  great  positiveness  of  opinion  and  purpose 
with  such  obvious  purity,  sweetness,  and  wise  discretion,  that 
he  seldom  made  an  enemy,  or  failed  to  command  the  highest 
regard  and  confidence  of  those  even  who  strenuously  differed 
from  him.  He  was  a  very  decided  man;  saw  his  way  clearly 
and  acted  promptly  and  vigorously.  For  knavery  and  hypoc- 
risy he  had  a  keen  discernment  and  swift  rejection,  but  the 
kindest  tolerance  and  sympatny  for  those  honestly  mistaken. 
The  secret  of  the  wide  personal  popularity  of  so  positive  a 
nature  lay  in  the  strong,  tender  and  generous  sympathy  of  his 
spirit  which  made  him  indescribably  winning.  To  know  and 
confer  with  such  a  man  was  a  rich  privilege,  and  his  associates 
and  pupils  looked  up  to  and  delighted  in  him,  in  a  way  and 
degree  which  it  is  impossible  to  describe  or  account  for. 


REV.    WM.   P.    ALEXANDER.  145 

Father  Alexander  was  above  all  beloved  in  his  own  large 
family,  where  the  rare  tenderness  and  power  of  his  strong  and 
sympathetic  nature  made  him  a  father  whose  loss  is  felt  as  few 
can  be.  Five  sons,  four  daughters  and  thirty  grandchildren 
mourn  the  patriarch's  departure  from  them.  Until  within  a 
very  few  weeks  before  his  death  not  a  break  had  occurred  in 
the  whole  number.  In  1881  it  was  the  privilege  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Alexander  to  celebrate  their  golden  wedding  at  Glenside, 
Haiku,  Maui,  the  home  of  their  son,  Rev.  James  M. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alexander  proceeded  to  Oakland,  May  1,  with 
a  reasonable  prospect  of  many  years  of  comfortable  life.  A 
few  weeks  since  a  slight  mishap  in  a  surgical  operation  led  to 
fatal  results.  He  lingered  for  two  weeks,  attended  with  intense 
suffering.  This  he  bore  with  singular  courage,  replying  to  the 
sorrow  of  his  friends  that  "the  sufferings  here  were  as  nothing 
to  the  glories  to  be  revealed."  He  talked  a  great  deal  during 
his  illness  about  the  wonderful  goodness  of  God.  To  one  say- 
ing she  wished  she  could  bear  some  of  the  pain  for  him,  he 
replied,  "  It  has  been  sent  where  it  was  most  needed,  I  think." 
Once  he  said,  "  Sometimes  I  am  on  the  hill-tops,  then  again 
down  in  the  deep  valley  of  humiliation."  His  last  conscious 
day  was  one  of  tolerable  relief  from  bodily  pain,  and  of  tran- 
scendent joy  of  spirit.  To  those  who  were  near  him  death  and 
Heaven  took  on  new  meanings. 

Age  had  not  dulled  the  faculties  of  our  venerated  friend  in 
body  or  mind.  It  may  be  some  consolation  for  his  hastened 
departure,  to  reflect  that  he  has  been  spared  the  painful  weak- 
ness and  dependence  of  extreme  old  age.  He  has  left  his 
large  family  of  sons  and  daughters  in  an  unusual  degree  of 
honor  and  prosperity.  His  venerated  widow  still  remains  to 
comfort  her  mourning  family.  A  large  number  of  Hawaiians 
in  honorable  positions  in  the  church  and  the  State,  look  up  to 
him  as  their  Makua  (father),  and  will  hold  his  memory  sacred. 
A  greater  number  who  counted  him  their  spiritual  father  have 
doubtless  welcomed  him  to  the  blessed  life  above.  We  who 
remain  shall  miss  his  benign  and  enlivening  presence  and  wise 
counsel.  "  Father  Alexander "  will  be  long  remembered  in 
Hawaii  nei. 


MEMORIAL    DISCOURSE. 

PREACHED   AT    MAKAWAO    MAUI, 

BY    REV.  T.  H.  ROUSE. 

"  For  me  to  live  is  Christ  and  to  die  is  gain."     Phil,  i :  21. 

IN  speaking  of  the  loved  one  who  has  gone  from  us  it 
is  not  so  much  my  purpose  to  sketch  an  outline  of 
his  life,  or  to  dwell  on  the  facts  of  his  history,  as  it  is 
to  call  attention  to  some  features  of  his  Christian  charac- 
ter, which  are  especially  worthy  of   imitation. 

His  achievements  as  a  Christian  hero,  his  grand  work, 
his  life-long  and  steady  battle  with  heathenism  and  the 
powers  of  darkness  in  these  islands,  his  pioneer  work  in 
remote  stations,  his  labors  as  a  teacher  of  youth,  as  a 
preacher  and  pastor,  as  a  theological  instructor,  the 
mighty  triumphs  of  the  gospel  he  witnessed  and  partici- 
pated in,  his  literary  work  and  publications  in  Hawaiian, 
his  labors  to  establish  Punahou  College,  his  efforts  for 
the  founding  and  prosperity  of  our  Makawao  Seminary, 
— all  these  and  other  labors,  which  we  cannot  now  men- 
tion, may  be  far  better  portrayed  by  others,  his  surviv- 
ing companions,  or  those  who  have  made  a  study  of 
Hawaiian  history,  than  by  a  transient  resident,  knowing 
only  by  hearsay,  or  brief  observation,  of  the  great  work 
of  God  in  these  islands,  by  the  hands  of  these  mission- 
ary Fathers,  now  passing  away, 

"  For  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain,"  says  the 
apostle.  The  first  clause  of  this  text  gives  us,  I  think, 
the  main,  the  great  characteristic  of  his  life,  which  wc 
(146) 


REV.    UAL   P.    ALEXANDER  147 

may  well  seek  to  imitate.  The  second  clause  gives  the 
ssue  of  his  life,  which  is  for  our  consolation  and  joy, 
under  these  trials.  I  call  your  attention,  then,  first,  to 
that  consecrated  life  to  Christ,  which  was  his  as  it  is  our 
highest  honor  and  praise. 

To  give  one's  self  to  the  foreign  missionary  work  in 
those  times,  when  the  heathen  world  was  so  little  known, 
the  influences  of  civilization  so  feeble  and  limited,  the 
means  of  transport  and  communication  so  few,  and  the 
perils  and  privations  in  consequence  so  great,  required, 
methinks,  a  more  absolute  consecration,  a  more  utter  sur- 
render into  the  hands  of  God,  of  life  and  all  its  interests, 
than  in  these  later  times,  when  the  ends  of  the  earth  are 
brought  into  such  close  proximity,  and  its  nations  are 
neighbors.  There  were  giants  in  those  days,  men  great  in 
consecration  and  trust.  Such  examples  as  that  of  Titus 
Coan  going  to  Pategonia,  or  of  Father  and  Mother  Alex- 
ander going  to  the  Marquesas,  confronting  its  lawless  can- 
nibalism, must  ever  shine  conspicuous  in  its  likeness  to 
that  apostolic  heroism,  which  said,  "  Neither  count  I  my 
life  dear  unto  myself,  so  that  I  might  finish  my  course  with 
joy  and  the  ministry  which  I  have  received."  ...  A 
life  so  consecrated  to  God  will  have  these  three  features: 
great  delight  in  prayer,  great  love  for  the  divine  word, 
and  great  longing  for  the  coming  of  Christ  in  his  king- 
dom. Now  these  things  very  much  characterized  the 
life  of  that  beloved  Father,  whose  example  is  before  you. 
How  much  was  prayer  his  delight!  He  loved  commun- 
ion with  God  more  than  his  daily  food.  The  simplicity 
of  his  faith,  how  child-like !  "I  love  the  Lord  because  he 
hath  heard  the  voice  of  my  supplication,"  he  often  said. 
How  sweet  it  was  to  bow  with  him  at  the  family  altar. 
How  many  and  fervent  have  his  prayers  been  for  his  chil- 


i4S  MEMOIR    OF 

dien  and  his  grandchildren.  In  the  great  distress  and 
suffering  of  the  last  days  of  his  life,  how  earnestly  hesought 
the  Lord  for  help,  as  to  one  with  whom  he  had  had  a 
long  acquaintance  in  prayer!  And  the  Lord  gave  him 
directly  help  from  his  hand.  How  fervently  and  beauti- 
fully he  acknowledged  it!  "This  poor  man  cried," 
said  he,  "  and  the  Lord  heard  him,  and  delivered 
him  out  of  all  his  troubles." 

As  his  delight  in  prayer  was  great,  so  was  his  love 
for  the  divine  word.  His  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures 
was  great.  He  believed  fully  in  the  power  of  divine 
truth.  He  faithfully  preached  it  and  had  great  witness 
of  its  power.  That  word  was  also  the  delight  of  his 
own  heart.  The  promises  cheered  and  comforted  him. 
How  often  they  were  quoted  with  the  sweetest  assurance! 
How  he  loved  the  psalms  of  David !  How  richly  they  ex- 
pressed his  own  experience  !  "  Those  beautiful  psalms," 
said  he,  "  seem  to  have  been  written  for  me,  as  for  ten 
thousand  others."  "  I  shall  think  of  him  when  I  read 
the  psalms,"  said  one,  "  he  repeats  them  so  often." 

Conspicuous,  too,  was  his  personal  love  for  Christ  and 
his  coming  in  his  kingdom.  Often  were  these  words  on 
his  lips,  "  Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus."  He  did  not  dog- 
matize respecting  that  coming,  whether  it  was  personal 
or  spiritual,  but  he  longed  for  the  blessed  Master,  antici- 
pated with  great  joy  the  seeing  of  him,  and  seemed  to  live 
more  nearly  than  most  in  the  spirit  of  "  looking  for  that 
blessed  hope  and  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  glory  of 
our  great  God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  Now  his  hopes 
have  their  fruition,  and  he  sees  the  King  in  his  beauty. 

Again;  a  life  thus  consecrated  to  God  and  com- 
munion with  him  must  result  in  great  usefulness. 
.     .     .     When  we  think  of  the  results  of  his  life,  what  a 


REV.   WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  149 

view  opens  before  us,  of  native  minds  awakened  and  led 
to  Christ;  of  youth  instructed,  developed  and  lifted  to  a 
higher  plane  of  character;  of  gospel  ministers  trained  to 
teach  others  and  to  be  missionaries  of  light  into  the 
deeper  darkness;  institutions  of  learning  founded,  and 
developed  to  a  strong  maturity,  in  which  multitudes 
have  been  taught  and  trained  to  decent  and  noble  lives, 
and  in  which  other  multitudes  shall  yet  be  instructed — in 
a  word,  a  nation  lifted  from  the  blackness  of  heathenism 
far  on  towards  a  Christian  civilization. 

Another  result  of  such  a  consecration  is  that  such  a 
life  becomes  transfigured  far  into  the  divine  likeness  of 
love.  Have  we  any  more  perfect  type  of  what  God  is 
as  a  father,  than  an  earthly  father,  who,  through  loving 
consecration  to  God  and  long  communion  with  him, 
has  become  much  assimilated  to  his  likeness  ?  How 
sweet  and  loving  were  the  characteristics  of  this  precious 
father  of  yours.  You  saw  and  felt  them.  Xone  could 
be  long  in  his  presence  yet  insensible  to  that  ripe  and 
mellowed  character,  that  loving  spirit,  the  result  of  much 
divine  communion.     .     . 

While  our  father  and  friend,  whom  we  mourn  to-day, 
possessed,  in  as  full  proportion  as  most,  those  stronger 
qualities  of  character,  such  as  decision,  firmness,  and 
executive  ability,  he  also  bore  in  sweet  and  loving 
prominence  those  softer  and  gentler  traits  that  win  and 
attract  everybody,  even,  most  of  all,  little  children,  to  his 
arms.  How  often  have  we  seen  his  loving,  patriarchal 
form  seated  on  the  sofa  in  his  home,  with  a  little  con- 
tented grandchild  under  each  arm  and  clasped  to  his 
side.  To  see  the  tender  look  in  his  eye,  and  the  bene- 
diction of  his  beaming  face  bent  over  them  so  kindly,  I 
could  only  think  of  Christ  the   Saviour  with  the  little 


150  MEMOIR  OF 

children  in  his  arms.  Long  will  you  remember  his 
affectionate  greetings  as  you  visited  his  home;  his  loving 
kiss;  his  fatherly  arms  thrown  around  you  in  warm  cm- 
brace;  his  words  of  affection  that  great,  warm  heart  of 
love,  that  held  you  all,  that  embraced  everybody,  that 
went  out  to  every  child,  every  friend,  every  native,  the 
whole  village  where  he  lived,  and  the  churches  to  which 
he  ministered,  to  all  the  Hawaiian  churches  and  their 
pastors,  welcoming  all  to  his  generous  heart  and  hospita- 
ble home.  Yes,  the  element  of  love  that  pervaded  his 
character  so  strongly,  expressed  itself  everywhere  and  to 
the  last;  pain  could  not  quench  it,  nor  anguish  abate  it. 
It  was  wonderful,  more  like  the  love  of  Christ  than  we 
often  see,  stronger  than  all  things  in  him,  except  his  love 
to  Christ  and  Christ's  love  to  him,  in  which  it  had  its 
root.  As  one  said,  "  He  reminds  one  of  the  apostle 
John  in  the  sweetness  and  tenderness  of  his  spirit." 
"  If  he  had  lived  on  earth  in  apostolic  times  I  believe  he 
would  have  shared  with  the  beloved  disciple  the  intimate 
friendship  of  Jesus." 

Let  us  look  now  at  the  issues  of  such  a  life.  "  To  die 
is  gain,"  says  the  apostle.  The  end  of  such  a  life  is  gain. 
It  is  gain  to  him.  Is  it  not  possibly  gain  to  you  ?  It  is 
good  to  have  such  a  life  with  us  I  know — oh,  how 
good! — to  have  it  in  the  family,  in  the  home,  in  the 
quaint  old  mansion  where  you  so  often  went,  and  where 
there  was  always  room  for  all  of  you  and  a  trundle-bed 
and  crib  and  high-chair  for  every  grandchild;  to  see  his 
face,  to  go  to  his  home,  to  meet  his  smiling  welcome  and 
tender  embrace, — this  was  sweet  and  good  and  desirable ; 
the  atmosphere  of  Heaven  pervaded  that  home.  You 
were  lifted  heavenward  by  that  father's  and  mother's 
prayers;  and  as  you  went  to  your  own  homes,  your  lives 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  151 

were  lived  under  more  sacred  bonds.  .  .  .  But  when 
such  a  father  goes  from  us,  it  is  then  that  lie  is  still  with 
us.  This  is  no  paradox.  Then  it  is  that  all  his  life,  the 
whole  past  of  it,  is  gathered  up  and  focalized,  by  affection 
and  memory  brought  into  one  concentrated  whole,  and 
shines  upon  us  its  holy  influences  more  powerfully  than 
before. 

But  finally,  to  him  also  it  was  gain  to  die.  You 
cannot  doubt  this.  .  .  .  You  see  it  to  be  so  from 
his  worn-out  body,  its  pain,  its  inevitable  liability  to 
pain,  but  now  transported  beyond  the  reach  of  suffer- 
ing forever.  He  knew  by  experience  more  than  most 
the  ministry,  of  pain.  More  than  once  in  his  life 
did  he  pass  through  the  furnace  of  trial.  "  He  was  per- 
fected through  suffering."  Why,  we  know  not.  How 
wonderfully  he  bore  it!  If  God  did  not  remove  the 
"  thorn,"  he  gave  grace  to  bear  it.  To  one  who  said, 
"  Oh,  that  we  could  bear  the  pain  for  you !  "  he  said, 
"  It  has  been  sent,  doubtless,  where  it  is  most  needed." 
"  These  sufferings  here,"  he  said,  "  are  not  worthy  to  be 
compared  with  the  glory  to  be  revealed."  Sweet  to  him 
after  them  was  the  glory  to  be  revealed.  Not  only  was 
it  gain  to  die  for  the  freedom  from  earthly  ills  and  suf- 
ferings, but  for  the  blessedness  in  store. 

How  did  his  spirit  exult  in  the  love  of  his  coming 
Saviour,  and  in  the  glorious  meeting  with  him!  "Now 
is  our  salvation  nearer  than  wh.  n  we  believed,"  he  often 
said,  as  the  end  was  drawing  near.  The  transcendent 
joys  of  his  spirit  on  his  last  day,  it  was  beautiful  to 
behold.  His  last  hours  were  peace,  and  he  gently  passed 
into  glory.  For  him  to  die  was  surely  gain.  Not  long 
before  his  dear  companion  will  join  him  there.  Faith- 
fully has  she   borne   the    burden   and   heat  of  life's  day 


152  MEMOIR  OF 

with  him.  May  the  loving  arms  of  Jesus  be  close 
around  her,  in  place  of  those  upon  which  she  has  so  long 
leaned,  and  his  rod  and  staff  comfort  her,  till  her  pilgrim- 
age is  ended,  and  she  joins  him  above.  And  may  you 
all,  children  and  grandchildren,  so  live  as  to  join  him 
there,  in  God's  own  time,  that  he  may  stand  before  the 
throne  and  be  able  to  say,  "  Here  am  I,  Lord,  and  all  the 
children  thou  hast  given  me." 

Funeral  discourses  containing  touching  tributes  to  the 
memory  of  Mr.  Alexander  were  also  preached  by  Rev. 
A.  O.  Forbes  (Secretary  of  the  Hawaiian  Evangelical 
Association,  one  of  his  most  intimate  associates  in  the 
mission  work)  in  the  native  church  at  Wailuku  and  to 
the  foreign  residents  at  Haiku;  but  these  discourses 
were  not  written  out  for  publication. 

TRIBUTE  OF  MR.  E.  BAILEY. 

"Wailuku,  April  21,  1888. 
"  MRS.  M.  A.  ALEXANDER — Dear  Sister:  It  gives  me 
the  greatest  pleasure  to  bear  my  testimony  to  the  worth 
of  our  dear,  departed  friend  and  brother,  Rev.  W.  P. 
Alexander,  with  whom  we  passed  so  many  years  of 
pleasant  intercourse  here  in  Wailuku.  The  memory  of 
those  years  is  very  dear  in  the  retrospect,  and  they  were 
pleasant  in  the  enjoyment.  I  know  of  no  one  with  whom 
I  have  ever  been  acquainted,  who  was  more  unselfish, 
who  would  do  more  for  one  whom  it  was  in  his  power  to 
benefit,  or  do  it  with  more  hearty  good-will.  We  were 
sad  when  the  time  came  for  separation,  with  a  fear  that 
we  should  see  his  face  no  more,  a  fear  that  was  only 
too  painfully  realized.  It  hardly  seems,  even  at  this  Lite 
day,  that  we  shall  see  no  more  that  erect  form  and  beam- 
ing countenance,  nor  hear  his  words  of  sympathy  and 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  153 

good-will.  To  a  much  greater  extent  than  is  usual,  even 
among  Christians,  he  seemed  to  bear  ill-will  to  no  one. 
"As  a  missionary,  he  was  indefatigable,  and  never 
seemed  to  know  when  he  had  done  enough.  No  call  for 
help  was  unheeded  when  it  was  in  his  power  to  help. 
In  counsel  he  was  efficient,  and  always  bore  a  large  part 
of  the  burden  of  planning  for  more  efficient  work.  But 
those  whose  relations  to  him  were  most  intimate,  know 
well  that,  while  public  interests  were  not  neglected  by 
him,  his  virtues  shone  most  brightly  in  private  life.  As 
a  friend  and  neighbor  he  was  all  that  man  could  be. 
High  and  all-pervading  Christian  principle  seemed  to 
give  color  to  his  whole  life;  and  though  always  gentle, 
he  was  not  to  be  turned  aside  from  what  he  considered 
right.  In  cheering  the  afflicted,  in  bearing  with  human 
frailty,  in  smoothing  the  pathway  of  those  in  trouble,  he 
was  exemplar}';  and  few  who  knew  him  will  not  re- 
member how  well  he  acquitted  himself  in  each  position. 
I  could  add  much  more,  but  must  close  these  few  notes 
with  the  declaration  that  he  was  the  faithful  missionary, 
the  loving  friend,  and  the  whole  souled  Christian. 

"Most  sincerely  yours,  E.  BAILEY." 

TRIBUTE  OF  GEN.  S.  C.  ARMSTRONG. 

"  '  Father  Alexander  '  is  embalmed  in  all  our  memories. 
He  was  the  soul  of  hospitality  and  of  all  kindness. 
How  many  exhausted,  wave-tossed  missionary  fathers 
and  mothers  and  children  have  been  welcomed  by  him 
as  they  landed  from  the  Maria,  or  Hoikaika,  or  Kame- 
hameha,  or  other  lesser  coasting  craft  on  the  beach  at 
Lahaina  and  ascended  to  Lahainaluna,  and  were  cheered 
by  his  unfailing  humor  and  rejuvenated  by  a  bath  in  the 
delightful   mountain   waters!     I   can   almost  recall    now 


154  MEMOIR  OF 

the  bliss  of  it  and  the  glorious  view  of  sea  and  outly- 
ing islands  from  those  heights;  it  is  a  sensation  by  itself; 
there  is  nothing  like  it.  Your  father  was  my  father's 
friend,  one  of  his  closest,  dearest  friends,  and  I  deeply, 
tenderly  revere  his  memory.  I  recall  his  noble  form, — 
an  ideal  Kentuckian,  embodying  the  Christian  and  the 
heroic  type, —  I  can  almost  say,  '  the  noblest  Roman  of 
them  all;'  for  did  he  not  tower  above  all  the  fathers,  with 
his  benignant  smile  and  never-failing  flow  of  wit  and 
wisdom?  He  lived  with  his  family  for  many  years  in 
the  house  where  I  was  born,  my  father's  first  mission 
station,  opposite  grand  old  Haleakela.  Like  it,  he 
was  great.  He  sowed  seed,  the  fruition  of  which 
spread  silently  over  the  islands,  the  value  of  which  can- 
not be  estimated.  My  memory  wanders  to  the  days  at 
Ulupalakua,  where  he  was  most  kind  to  me.  The  ranch 
life  there  was  Paradise  for  boys.  My  enthusiasm  for 
him  and  gratitude  to  him  will  never  cease.  He  gave 
himself  and  a  splendid  progeny  to  Hawaii.  The  mem- 
ory of  your  own  and  of  all  the  fathers  and  mothers  is 
fragrant;  it  is  holy.  We  are  far  below  them  in  the 
spirit  of  sacrifice  and  of  devotion.  What  a  heritage 
they  have  left  us !  " 

From  the  Missioiiary  Herald: — 

"  Secretary  Clark  recalls  an  incident  showing  the 
affectionate  interest  inspired  in  his  pupils  by  Father 
Alexander:  At  the  Jubilee  of  1870,  in  Honolulu,  as  Mr. 
Alexander  came  down  from  the  platform  where  he  had 
been  sitting  during  some  of  the  exercises,  Kauwcaloha, 
one  of  his  former  pupils,  who  had  just  returned  from  a 
seventeen  years'  absence,  as  a  missionary  to  the  Mar- 
quesas Islands,  rushed  forward  and  caught  him  in  his 
arms.  The  hearty,  tearful  embrace  of  these  two  men 
was  alike  creditable  to  both." 


rev.  wm.  p.  Alexander.         155 

HOALOHALOHA  A  KA  AHA  LUNAKAHIKO 
I  KA  MAKUA, 

REV.    W.    P.    ALEXANDER. 

Ue,  Ue,  Ua  make  ka  Makua  William, 

Ua  make  he  Elele  a  kr.u  hoa, 

Kuu  hoa  i  paa  ka  Pono, 

Km:  hoa  i  ka  Uc  a  ka  Makani, 

Kuu  hoa  i  ka  wela  o  ka  La, 

Ki.u  hoa  i  ka  ami  o  ka  Mauna, 

Kuu  hoa  i  mau  Kai  Ewalu, 

Ue,  Ue,  LTa  hala  kuu  hoa, 

Ka  Lan:  nani  o  Kristo, 

Aole  hoi  hou  mai. 

Mrs.  Mary  Ann  McK.  Alexander:  Makuahine  aloha, 
i  hoonaluca  ia  e  ka  luuluu  pilihue,  no  ka  hala  ana  o  kau 
Kane  Aloha,  kou  hoapili  no  na  makehiki  he  53,  a  oi, 
O  makou  na  kamaiki  ma  ka  Uhane  o  ka  Pono,  na  Kahu 
Ekalesia,  me  na  Lunakahiko,  i  akoakoa  mai  iloko  o  ka 
Aha  Lunakahiko  (ma  Kaahumanu)  na  hoa  Lawchana  o 
kau  Kane,  ko  makou  Makua  i  aloha  nui  ia,  me  ka  paulclc 
mau  aku,  O  ke  Komite  a  ka  Aha,  ma  ke  ano  o  Ice 
Kanaka,  ke  hoike  nei  imua  ou  i  ke  aloha  ka  zua/ania,  ka 
haehae,  ke  kimakcna  ka  uluku,  ka  lia  ana,  Ua  hele 
a/ianane  loko  iiui-haihai,  wehe  i  ka  pe-a  kna  o  ke 
Kanaka,  ka  ua  mea  o  ke  kukia  mau  i  ka  hele  ana  o  ka 
Makua  leo  ole,  ka  hoa  kuka  a  ohumuhumu  no  na  hana 
a  ka  Haku,  ka  mea  nana  e  hoomalamalama  i  na  mea 
pohihihi  o  ka  Euanalio  a  Kristo,  a  pau  ae  ka  pohihihi,  c 
hiki  pono  ai  ke  alakai  i  na  hana  no  ke  Aupuni  Lanakila 
o  ke  Keikihipa.  E  ka  Makuahine,  O  ka  ka  Haku  hana 
ike  ole  ia  keia  o  ka  lawe  ana  i  ke  oJio-hina  o  kana  kauwa 
i  ka  Ina  me  ka  minamina,  me  ka  pau  ole  o  kana  hana  i 
ke  ao  nei  no  ka  ulia  o  ka  manavva. 


156  MEMOIR    OF 

E  ko  makou  luaui-wahine  o  ka  Pono,  he  mea 
puanuanu  nui  keia  o  kou  makou  rnau  puuwai  o  ka  hele 
ana  o  kou  hoapili  i  kuilima  pu  ia'  i  e  olua  na  Moana 
nui;  ka  Atelanika  Hikina,  ka  Pacifika  Komohana,  na 
ale  apiipii  o  na  Kai-Ewalu;  na  awawa  anoano  o 
Nutuhiwa,  Pac  aina  o  Maquisa,  ka  ua  nui  lokuloku  o 
Waioli,  ka  la  kochana  o  Lahainaluna,  kahi  a  olua  i 
hoiloli  ai,  e  hoa  i  ka  Ipukukui  o  ka  noeau  no  ka  Pomaikai 
o  kcia  Lahui. — Ka  mahiehie  o  ka  Pono  i  ahai  mua  ia  e 
Rev.  J.  Kekela  laua  o  Rev.  S.  Kauvvealoha  i  Fatuhivva, 
a  i  hookahua  ia  c  Rev,  D.  Kapali,  G.  Leleo,  N.  Lono  i 
ka  Paeaina  o  ka  Pacifika  Hema.  Me  keia  mau  hoalo- 
haloha  ana  nou,  kc  hai  haahaa  aku  nei  makou  na  hoa  a 
pau  o  ka  Aha  ma  o  kc  Komite  la,  e  lawe  aku  i  ko  makou 
aloha  ana  no  Rev.  W.  P.  Alexander,  ka  oluolu,  ka  loko- 
maikai.  E  ae  haahaa  aku  kakou  i  ka  kc  Akua  ka  Makua, 
ka  Haku  Iesu  Kristo,  me  ka  Uhane  Hemolele  haawina 
kaumaha  i  kau  mai  maluna  o  kakou  a  pau,  O  kona  Inoa 
ke  hoomaikai  ia;  Nana  noi  olelo  mai,  "  Pomaikai  ka  poe 
make,  ke  make  iloko  o  ka  Haku;  E  hahai  aha  ka  lakou 
liana  mahope  o  lakou."  Eia  ko  kakou  manaolana:  "O 
ka  mea  hoohuli  i  ka  lehulehu  e  alohilohi  lakou  ia  ao  aku 
ia  ao  aku."  Daniela  12:3.  O  ka  makou  pule  ia  i  ke 
Akua,  E  hooloihi  maii  na  la  o  kou  ol  1  ana,  a  c  ike  i  ka 
maha  me  ka  Pomaikai,  ma  ka  maka  o  ka  olua  ohana, 
mai  kou  puhaka  mai. 

f  W.  P.  Kau  ale, 
I  O.  Nawahine, 
Komiti^  Z.  S.  K.  Paaluhi, 
I  A.  Pali, 
^J   Haoie. 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  157 

Translation  of  the  foregoing: — 

LETTER    OF    CONDOLENCE. 

FROM    THE    PRESBYTERY    OF    MAUL 

Alas,  alas,  Father  William  is  dead! 
\  >ead  is  the  missionary  and  friend  ; 
Our  friend  who  stood  fast  for  the  ri;;ht, 
Our  friend  in  the  rain  and  wind, 
Our  friend  in  the  heat  of  the  sun, 
Our  friend  in  the  cold  of  the  mountains, 
Our  friend  on  the  Eight  Seas; 
Alas,  alas,  our  friend  has  departed! 
Gone  to  the  glorious  Heaven  of  Christ, 
lie  will  return  no  more= 

To  Mrs.  Mary  A.Alexander,  our  beloved  mother,  who 
art  overwhelmed  with  a  crushing  weight  of  sorrow  by  the 
death  of  your  beloved  husband,  your  most  intimate 
friend  of  over  fifty-three  years,  we  children  begotten  by 
the  spirit  of  truth-  pastors  and  elders  of  the  churches, 
co-workers  with  your  husband,  assembled  as  a  Pres- 
bytery (at  Kaahumanu  church)  by  our  committee, 
declare  to  you  our  intense  sympathy  with  you,  our  over- 
whelming sorrow,  our  heart-heaving  and  tremor  of  spirit, 
because  there  has  been  the  departure  in  utter  dissolution 
of  body  and  sundering  of  the  silver  cords  of  life,  of  our 
father  to  be  henceforth  voiceless  to  us,  of  him  who  was 
our  friend  in  all  our  consultation  and  planning  for  the 
work  of  the  Lord,  who  was  accustomed  to  shed  light  on 
the  mysteries  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  to  guide  in 
the  work    of  the    triumphant    kingdom    of  the    Lamb. 

O  mother,  we  see  the  Lord's  hand  in  this  removal, 
most  sorrowfully  regretted  by  us,  of  the  gray-headed 
veteran,  his  servant,  to  the  grave  before  the  completion 
of  his  work  ! 


158  MEMOIR    OF 

And,  O  our  mother  in  the  cause  of  righteousness, 
it  profoundly  stirs  our  hearts  that  this  is  the  removal 
of  your  most  intimate  friend,  who,  hand  in  hand  with 
you,  traversed  the  great  oceans  of  the  Atlantic  on 
the  east,  and  the  Pacific  on  the  west,  and  our  tumultuous 
Eight  Seas,  who  with  you  labored  hard  in  the  far  isolated 
valleys  of  Nuuhiva,  of  the  Marquesas  Islands,  in  the 
rainy  district  of  Waioli,  and  in  the  oppressive  heat  of 
Lahainaluna,  to  light  the  lamp  of  wisdom  for  the  bless- 
ing of  this  nation,  from  whose  labors  there  have  been 
especially  conspicuous  results  in  the  missionary  lives  of 
Rev.  J.  Kekela  and  Rev.  S.  Kauwealoha,  in  Fatuhiva, 
and  of  Revs.  D.  Kapali,  G.  Leleo,  and  N.  Lono,  in 
Micronesia. 

With  these  expressions  of  sympathy,  we,  the  Pres- 
bytery, humbly  express  to  you  our  love  for  Rev.  W.  P. 
Alexander  for  his  goodness  and  tender  kindness.  Let 
us  bow  in  humble  submission  to  God  the  Father,  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  in  this  heavy 
affliction  that  hath  come  alike  on  us  all.  Praised  be  his 
name,  who  hath  said,  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in 
the  Lord,  their  works  do  follow  them."  This  is  our 
hope,  "They  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  shall  shine 
as  the  stars  forever  and  ever."  It  is  our  prayer  to  God 
that  he  will  lengthen  out  the  days  of  your  life,  and  that 
you  may  see  rest  and  blessing  in  the  presence  of  the 
families  of  your  children. 

r\V.  P.  K  AH  ALE, 
O.  NAWAHINE, 

Committee^  Z.  S.  K.  Paaluhi 
|  A.  Pali, 

I  J.  Haole. 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  159 

TRANSLATION      OF     LETTER     OF     CONDO- 
LENCE. 

FROM    THE   EVANGELICAL   ASSOCIATION    OF   OA1IU. 

To  Mrs.  Alexander,  true  mother  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ: — 

GREAT  ALOHA:  We,  a  committee  of  the  Evangelical 
Association  of  Oahu,  express  the  overwhelming  sorrow 
every  member  of  this  Association  feels,  together  with  a 
feeling  of  submission  to  God  in  joyous  hope,  because  the 
Almighty  has  taken  away  the  soul  of  your  greatly  be- 
loved husband,  that  he  should  enter  the  mansions  of 
Heaven  for  blessing  and  for  rest  from  his  earthly  labors. 
You,  with  all  the  members  of  your  family,  are  indeed  in 
deep  distress;  on  you  there  is  a  heavy  burden  of  sorrow, 
and  you  are  in  the  very  depths  of  affliction,  because  he 
has  gone  on  a  path  in  which  there  is  no  returning;  but 
rejoice,  for  "blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord." 
"  Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory.  Therefore  comfort 
ye  one  another  with  these  words."  1  Thess.  4:  17,  18. 
Tenderly  regarded  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death 
of  his  saints. 

While  you  are  weeping  and  mourning  for  your 
beloved  departed  from  you,  we,  your  friends  of  this 
Association,  weep  with  you  and  all  your  family.  It  is 
well  that  God  the  Almighty  should  take  away  his  serv- 
ant to  dwell  with  him  in  the  kingdom  of  Heaven,  though 
he  leaves  you  with  tears  for  him  on  this  side  of  the  River 
of  Jordan,  and  us  of  this  Association  uniting  with  you 
in  mourning.  We  have  no  certain  dwelling-place  here- 
We  seek  a  place  beyond,  the  everlasting  home  prepared 
for  believers.     We,   the    members  of  this    Association, 


160  MEMOIR  OF 

humbly  pray  the  triune  God,  that  he  will  takeaway  your 
weight  of  sorrow  and  ov  rwhelming  distress. 

[Signed  by  the  Committee]  J.  W.  KAAPU, 

J.  N.  PAIKULI, 
S.  Paaluhi. 
Waialua,  October  S,  iSS-/.. 


TRANSLATION  OF  LETTER  OF  CONDOLENCE. 

FROM     THE     ASSOCIATION     OF     KAUAI,     ASSEMBLED     AT     KOLOA, 
OCTOBER     15-18,     1884. 

To  Mrs.  IV.  P.  Alexander,  aloha  {love): — 

On  the  1 2th  of  August,  1884,  it  pleased  our  heavenly 
Father  to  take  away  your  beloved  husband,  a  spiritual 
father  of  this  nation.  He  was  a  father  greatly  beloved 
by  our  people,  from  whose  sowing  amongst  us,  many 
rich  fruits  of  Christian  blessing  have  resulted,  that  will 
ever  redound  to  his  memory.  His  work  on  earth  is 
done;  a«d  he  has  gone,  we  believe,  to  his  heavenly  home 
above,  with  the  angels  to  ever  behold  the  face  of  his 
heavenly  Father.  Therefore,  all  the  members  of  this 
association  tender  their  fervent  sympathy  to  you,  your 
children  and  grandchildren,  and  unite  with  you  in  your 
mourning.  "Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord." 
Rev.  J.  H.  Mahoe,  Moderator. 

REV.  S.  U.  Kapahi,  Scribe. 

By  order  of  the  Association. 


TRANSLATION  OF  LETTER  OF  CONDOLENCE. 

FROM      THE      SABBATH-SCHOOL     CONVENTION,     OF      MAUI      AND 
MOLOKAI,     REPRESENTING     THE     GREATLY     BE- 
LOVED   FATHER    ALEXANDER. 

To  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Alexander,  greatly  loved: — 

Wc   the  spiritual  children    of  you  both,  teachers  of 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  161 

Sabbath-schools,  delegates  of  the  Sabbath-scnools,  of 
the  three  districts  (na  hono  Ekolu  a  Piilani)  assembled 
in  the  Kaahumanu  church,  at  Wailuku  (declare) — that 
it  is  the  Lord's  doing,  as  the  Bible  teaches,  that  he  should 
take  to  the  grave  his  gray-headed  servant,  greatly 
mourned,  without  the  completion  of  his  work  on  earth, 
suddenly  and  unexpectedly.  Therefore  we,  your  chil- 
dren, enter  with  you  into  weeping  with  distressed  hearts 
and  with  flowing  tears  for  our  loved  father,  who,  with 
you,  through  our  ocean  reefs,  amongst  our  mountains 
and  over  our  blue  seas,  has  been  bringing  the  light,  the 
lamp  of  wisdom,  for  the  glorious  progress  of  our  nation 
in  material  and  spiritual  prosperity.  With  these  words 
of  condolence,  all  the  children  of  this  Sabbath-school 
Convention  weep  with  you.  Be  pleased  to  accept  the 
assurance  of  our  love  for  Father  Alexander,  the  courteous, 
the  delightful,  the  benevolent.  Let  us  humbly  submit 
with  love  to  the  Father  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  the 
removal  of  Father  Alexander  to  dwell  in  his  glorious  and 
holy  bosom,  in  joys  prepared  for  his  own  people,  chosen 
out  of  the  world.  Blessed  be  his  name  forever  and  ever. 
The  Bible  tells  us,  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the 
Lord,"  and  "  their  works  do  follow  them."  This  is  our 
expression  of  profound  sympathy  for  you. 

KALUA,  President. 

J.  Haole,  Secretary. 

Wailuku,  Maui,  December  6, 188+. 


TRANSLATION  OF  LETTER  OF  CONDOLENCE. 

FROM    THE    ELDERS    OF    THE    CHURCH    OF    WAILUKU. 

To  our  Christian  mother,  Mrs.    W.   P.  Alexander,  great  ly 
beloved,  tender  greeting: — 
Since  we  are    informed   that   Father    Alexander  has 


1 62  MEMOIR  OF 

been  taken  from  you  and  from  us,  the  children  of  his 
spiritual  care,  therefore  we  express  our  most  tender 
sympathy  for  you  in  this  very  heavy  affliction  that  has 
come  on  you  and  on  us,  the  children  of  you  both.  We 
tender  to  you  our  loving  condolence  that  you  are  deprived, 
by  the  hand  of  the  Almighty,  of  your  helpmate,  and  we 
unite  with  you  and  your  children  in  weeping  and  mourn- 
ing; and  we  have  the  hope  that  he  is  at  the  right  hand 
of  God  in  blessing,  where  we  most  earnestly  hope  to 
ourselves  arrive.  With  flowing  tears  we  sorrow  with 
you  and  your  children  in  this  affliction,  in  which  we  all 
suffer.  J.  B.  Keanu, 

J.  Haole, 
Kahopii, 
The  Elders  of  the  Wailuku  Church. 


TRANSLATION  OF  LETTER  OF  CONDOLENCE. 

THE     CHURCH     OF     WAILUKU    TO    THE    CHILDREN     OF     FATHER 
ALEXANDER. 

Great  ALOHA:  We,  the  elders  of  the  church  of 
Wailuku,  tender  our  great  sympathy  to  you,  the  chil- 
dren who  are  bereaved  and  overwhelmed  with  heavy 
affliction,  by  the  death  of  your  father.  We  unite  with 
you  in  grief  and  mourning;  and  we  indulge  the  hope 
that  he  has  gone  to  dwell  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Al- 
mighty. We  express  our  sympathy  to  you  with  sorely 
distressed  and  broken  hearts,  since  we  too  are  deprived 
of  a  father;  and  we.  the  elders  of  the  church,  unite  with 
you,  his  own  greatly  beloved  children,  in  love  for  him. 
With  this  affection  and  with  suffering  hearts,  we  bow  in 
reverent  submission    before    him    who  dctcrmineth   all 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  163 

events,  since  we  cannot  murmur  at  the  dispensation  of 
God.  W.  B.  Keanu, 

[Signed  by  the  elders]  J.  IlAOLE, 

KAHOril. 


A  SERMON  PREACHED  BY  REV.  W.  P.  ALEX- 
ANDER, IN  THE  UNITED  STATES, 
IN  THE  YEAR   1859. 

"  And  when  they  were  rome  and  had  gathered  the  church  together,  they  rehearsed  ali 
that  God  had  done  with  them,  and  how  he  had  jpened  the  door  of  faith  unto  the 
Gentiles.'      Acts  4:  27. 

The  apostles  were  the  first  missionaries.  Until  their 
mission  commenced,  the  true  religion  had  been  confined 
to  God's  chosen  people,  the  Jews;  but  they  were  sent  to 
every  creature.  Their  commission  was  very  broad;  it 
required  them  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  teach  all 
nations.  Accordingly  we  arc  told  in  the  last  verse  of 
the  gospel  by  Mark,  that  the  apostles  went  forth  and 
preached  everywhere,  the  Lord  working  with  them. 
Before  the  last  of  the  twelve  had  been  called  home  from 
his  labors,  they  had  proclaimed  a  free  salvation  through 
a  crucified  and  risen  Redeemer,  far  and  wide,  among  the 
nations  then  known,  perhaps  as  far  as  it  was  practicable 
for  them  to  do  at  that  time.  The  apostle  Paul  was 
particularly  distinguished  for  his  labors  among  the 
heathen  or  idolatrous  nations.  To  this  arduous  service 
he  was  especially  called  of  God,  and  both  by  gifts  and 
graces,  was  admirably  fitted;  hence  he  is  called  the 
apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  or,  as  it  might  be  expressed, 
missionary  to  the  heathen.  After  preaching  in  various 
parts  in  company  with  Barnabas,  he  seems  to  have  found 
it  good  and  important  to  revisit  the  place  of  their 
former  labors  at  Antioch,  where  they  had   been    rccom- 


1 64  MEMOIR    OF 

mended  to  the  grace  of  God  for  the  work  of  evangeliz- 
ing the  surrounding  nations.  Here,  as  was  natural,  they 
called  together  the  church,  and  gave  them  an  account  of 
their  mission.  They  rehearsed  all  that  God  had  done 
with  them,  and  how  he  had  opened  a  door  of  faith  unto 
the  Gentiles;  how  they  had  preached  Christ  Jesus  in 
every  place,  in  Seleucia  and  Cyprus,  Salami's,  Paphos, 
and  Perga;  how  the  Holy  Spirit  had  been  poured 
out,  and  many  had  embraced  a  risen  Saviour,  while 
others  had  rejected  their  message,  raised  a  persecution 
against  them,  and  expelled  them  from   their  coasts. 

Such  a  narrative  could  not  fail  to  be  interesting  and 
profitable  to  the  brethren  at  Antioch,  who  needed  to 
have  their  hearts  encouraged  and  their  faith  strengthened 
during  those  trying  times.  What  Paul  and  Barnabas 
had  to  relate  was  calculated  not  only  to  increase  their 
faith  in  the  power  of  the  gospel,  and  their  zeal  in  the 
Saviour's  cause,  but  also  to  encourage  their  prayers  and 
efforts  for  still  greater  displays  of  divine  grace  in  the 
conversion  of  the  world.  If  such  had  already  been  the 
power  of  the  gospel,  who  could  assign  any  limits  to  its 
progress  ? 

Twenty-eight  years  ago,  not  without  many  fears,  in 
much  weakness  and  inexperience,  I  left  home  and  native 
land,  for  the  far  distant  islands  of  the  Pacific,  on  a  simi- 
lar errand,  and  acting  under  the  same  authority  as  Paul 
and  Barnabas;  and  that  was  to  tell  those  then  benighted 
islanders  of  a  crucified  Saviour.  These  years  have 
passed  rapidly  away,  and  in  the  good  providence  of 
God  I  am  once  more  on  American  soil,  among  scenes 
once  most  familiar  and  dear. 

It  may  be  of  use  to  you,  as  it  was  to  the  church  of 
Antioch,  to  hear  somewhat  of  God's  dealings  with  those 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  165 

laboring  for  him  in  foreign  nations.  To  rehearse  all  the 
history  of  the  Hawaiian  Mission,  since  its  commencement 
forty  years  ago,  in  a  single  discourse  would  be  impossible. 
All  that  I  shall  attempt  is  an  outline  of  what  God  has 
done  for  that  people.  In  my  remarks  I  shall  attempt  to 
describe:  (1)  The  state  of  those  islands  at  the  time  when 
the  gospel  was  first  carried  to  them,  in  the  year  1820; 
(2)  the  means  that  have  been  employed  for  their  con- 
version to  God;  (3)  the  results  which  have  followed. 

In  the  year  1820,  when  the  first  missionaries  arrived 
at  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  the  population  was  estimated 
at  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand.  Since  that  time  it 
has  diminished  to  about  seventy  thousand  or  eighty 
thousand.  The  barbarous  nations  melt  away,  when 
brought  in  contact  with  the  diseases  and  vices  of  civil- 
ized lands.  Where  are  the  Indians  that  once  roamed 
over  this  broad  country?  White  men,  deserters  from 
ships,  had  been  on  those  shores  forty  years  before 
the  gospel  reached  them,  and  had  carried  the  diseases 
that  poisoned  the  whole  nation.  Through  them  the 
work  of  ruin  commenced;  and  it  has  been  going  on 
steadily  ever  since.  No  change  of  heart,  no  prayer,  no 
reformation,  no  degree  of  culture  or  intelligence,  has 
arrested  it;  for  the  poison  has  entered  the  very  bloodj 
bone,  and  muscle  of  the  people.  God  seems  to  have 
marked  with  peculiar  displeasure  the  violation  of  that 
law  on  which  depends  the  happiness  and  the  very  exist- 
ence of  the  human  family. 

There  was  a  remarkable  preparation  of  the  way  for 
the  missionaries  before  they  arrived.  The  islands,  which 
had  been  subject  to  a  multitude  of  independent  chiefs, 
continually  at  war  with  each  other,  had  just  been  sub- 
dued under  the  sway  of  a  single  individual,  King  Kamc- 


1 66  MEMOIR    OF 

hameha  L;  and  the  whole  system  of  idolatry  had 
been  abolished  by  his  successor,  while  the  first  mission- 
aries were  on  their  voyage.  What  influenced  the  heart 
of  this  young,  dissolute  ruler  to  do  this  is  not  known. 
Probably  he  was  moved  in  part  by  what  he  had  heard  of 
the  overthrow  of  idolatry  in  Tahiti,  but  more  likely  by 
an  impulse  of  his  own  reckless  and  impetuous  nature, 
which  would  not  endure  the  restraint  of  tabus.  This 
left  the  nation  without  any  religion.  They  were,  indeed, 
without  an  altar  or  a  priest.  In  regard  to  all  that 
pertains  to  man's  spiritual  welfare,  no  people  could  be 
in  a  grosser  darkness  than  they  were.  They  had  no 
knowledge  of  the  true  God,  or  of  the  way  of  salvation. 
They  called  evil  good,  and  good  evil.  To  the  very 
gods  they  worshiped,  they  attributed  the  vilest  crimes. 
War  was  the  business  of  their  chiefs;  and  their  wars 
were  cruel.  Their  Government  was  a  confused,  unor- 
ganized, savage  despotism  of  the  meanest  and  lowest 
character.  The  common  people  had  no  rights.  They 
were  mere  serfs,  subject  to  the  capricious  will  of  every 
petty  chief  who  might  at  any  time  exercise  rule  over 
them.  They  had  nothing  they  could  call  their  own,  not 
even  the  pig  or  fowl  at  their  doors.  Their  little  all  was 
liable  at  any  moment  to  be  swept  away  by  some  petty 
tyrant.  Even  the  king  and  chiefs  had  no  defined 
rights.  They  had  everything  by  a  most  uncertain  tenure( 
and  were  filled  with  jealousies  among  themselves.  In 
such  a  state  of  society  there  was  no  motive  to  industry. 
No  man  will  improve  his  land  or  build  a  good  house, 
unless  he  has  a  reasonable  prospect  of  enjoying  them. 
If  his  hard  earnings  may  be  swept  from  him  at  any 
moment,  he  will  take  care  to  own  just  as  little  visible 
property  as  possible.     Accordingly  we  found  the  people 


REV.    I  I'M.  P.  ALEXANDER.  167 

in  the  lowest  depths  of  poverty  and  degradation.  The 
chiefs  had  no  other  idea  of  ruling  than  to  get  all  they 
could  from  their  serfs,  and  the  people  had  no  other  idea 
of  serving  than  to  evade  the  chiefs  and  to  give  them  as 
little  as  possible.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  both  were  poor? 
that  their  habitations  were  grass  huts,  without  windows, 
doors,  or  furniture  beyond  a  few  mats?  that  their  bodies 
were  naked  and  filthy  ?  in  short,  that  their  highest  aim 
was  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  present,  leaving  the  future 
entirely  unprovided  for  ?  Is  it  any  wonder,  too,  that 
injustice  and  want  led  to  all  manner  of  thieving,  lying 
and  fraud  ?  They  were  all  liars  and  covenant-breakers 
They  had  no  sense  of  obligation.  To  keep  a  promise 
or  to  fulfill  a  contract  formed  no  part  of  their  moral 
code.  You  could  bind  them  only  when  you  had  power 
to  compel;  then  they  were  faithful.  Business  could  not 
prosper,  property  was  not  safe,  nobody  could  be  trusted. 
They  had  no  word  for  conscience,  or  the  moral  sense,  or 
for  gratitude,  or  moral  obligation,  because  they  had  not 
the  ideas.  Infanticide  was  common,  in  fact  few  women 
did  not  destroy  some  of  their  children.  Oh,  how  deep 
their  degradation  !  What  must  be  the  state  of  that 
mother's  heart  who  could  in  cold  blood  take  the  life  of 
her  own  babe  ! 

The  vice  most  prevalent  among  them,  and  which 
has  brought  down  upon  them  the  severest  sufferings,  was 
licentiousness.  Previous  to  the  introduction  of  Chris- 
tianity this  was  universal.  A  description  of  it  is  im- 
possible, you  could  not  endure  it,  neither  would  pro- 
priety allow  it.  In  such  a  state  of  society  there  could 
not  exist  what  we  call  a  family.  You  would  look  in 
vain  for  the  order  and  government  of  the  household, 
mutual   affection    and    regard    of  husband  and  wife,  the 


1 68  MEMOIR  OF 

proper  care  and  government  of  children,  regular  hours 
for  sleeping  and  eating,  labor  and  rest.  All  the  founda- 
tions of  the  family  were  out  of  course,  and  the  people 
were  reduced  to  almost  a  mere  animal  existence.  When 
I  first  looked  upon  them  I  exclaimed,  "  Can  these  be 
men  and  women  ?  Arc  they  not  mere  animals  ?  "  But 
no  language  can  give  you  a  proper  idea  of  the  state  of 
such  a  people.  To  understand  it  you  must  live  among 
them  and  hold  daily  intercourse  with  them.  Every  day 
would  furnish  some  new  development  of  their  mental 
imbecility  and  deep  moral  degradation,  especially  if  you 
were  making  efforts  for  their  deliverance  from  the  bond- 
age of  their  inveterate  habits. 

Before  I  went  abroad,  I  had  sometimes  wondered 
whether  there  were  any  people  now  living  to  whom  the 
apostle's  language  in  his  epistle  to  the  Romans  would 
apply,  where  he  says,  "  Being  filled  with  all  unrighteous- 
ness, fornication,  wickedness,  covetousness,  malicious- 
ness, full  of  envy,  murder,  debate,  deceit,  malignity; 
whisperers,  backbiters,  haters  of  God,  despiteful,  proud, 
boasters,  inventors  of  evil  things,  disobedient  to  parents, 
without  understanding,  covenant-breakers,  without 
natural  affection,  implacable,  unmerciful;"  but  after 
living  a  few  months  among  the  Marquesans,  and  many 
years  among  the  Hawaiians,  from  my  own  observation 
and  information  the  most  reliable,  I  am  persuaded  that 
every  epithet  here  employed  accurately  portrays  their 
heathen  state. 

In  no  point  of  view  does  their  mental  and  moral 
degradation  appear  more  complete  than  in  their  worship 
of  their  deities,  and  in  their  religious  rites,  which  they  re- 
garded as  their  most  holy  services.  To  their  gods  they 
attributed  the  most  atrocious  crimes.   They  were  supposed 


REV.   U'M.   P.   ALEXANDER.  169 

to  be  most  cruel,  bloody,  and  licentious;  and  the  worship 
they  offered  them  was  no  better.  If  the  priest  called  for 
a  human  victim  for  sacrifice,  he  must  be  procured,  even 
though  they  went  to  war  for  the  purpose.  On  the  death 
of  chiefs  the  funeral  rites  beggared  description  for  obscen- 
ity, cruelty,  noise,  and  beastly  exposure.  I  once  wit- 
nessed a  funeral  scene  (in  the  Marquesas  Islands,  similar 
to  those  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands),  which  lasted  seven 
days;  they  were  the  darkest  days  I  ever  saw.  Com- 
panies came  from  all  parts,  filling  the  air  with  loud 
wailings,  dancing  in  a  state  of  perfect  nudity  around  the 
corpse,  like  so  many  furies,  cutting  their  flesh  with  shells 
and  sharp  stones,  till  the  blood  trickled  down  to  their 
feet,  the  women  tearing  out  their  hair,  both  men  and 
women  knocking  out  their  teeth,  indulging  in  the  most 
revolting  licentiousness,  and  feasting  to  excess,  while 
muskets  were  fired  and  sea-shells  were  kept  a-blowing 
with  a  long,  deep,  sepulchral  sound,  during  the  whole 
night.  Verily,  I  seemed  to  be  for  the  time  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  infernal  regions;  and  I  wished  that  all  the 
Christians  in  the  world  could  have  looked  on  that  scene, 
and  asked  themselves  the  question,  "  Are  such  human 
beings  happy  ?  Arc  they  fit  for  the  society  of  a  holy 
Heaven  and  a  holy  God  ?  Or  are  they  not  more  fit  for 
habitations  of  devils  and  lost  spirits  ? " 

I  proceed  to  state  the  means  which  have  been  em- 
ployed to  convert  and  evangelize  the  Hawaiian  people. 
These  were  the  pulpit,  the  press,  and  schools.  In  the 
pulpit  there  have  been  employed  in  those  islands  by  the 
A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  since  1820,  forty-six  preachers  of  the 
gospel  and  one  hundred  other  laborers,  who  have  assisted 
in  the  work,  such  as  physicians,  school-teachers  and  sec- 
ular agents;  seventy-two  of  these  were  females.     And 


170  MEMOIR  OF 

besides  these,  nine  other  evangelical  preachers  of  the 
gospel  have  been  employed  by  the  A.  S.  F.  Society  and 
by  the  resident  community  of  foreigners.  Their  first  ef- 
fort on  arriving  on  those  shores  was  to  acquire  the  native 
language.  It  was  unwritten,  and  had  to  be  learned  from 
the  lips  of  the  people,  a  difficult  and  tedious  work.  The 
language  acquired  and  no  obstacle  hindering,  the  Word 
was  preached  in  season  and  out  of  season,  in  the  house 
and  by  the  way,  with  all  plainness  and  boldness.  The 
great  instrument  employed  was  the  preached  Word.  Do 
you  ask  the  character  of  the  preaching?  I  answer,  It  was 
eminently  practical,  simple  and  biblical.  The  language 
being  crude  and  barbarous,  did  not  admit  of  much 
philosophical  discussion;  and  hence  the  great  aim  has 
been  to  set  forth  in  all  plainness  the  fundamental  truths 
of  revelation,  such  as  the  depravity  of  the  heart,  the 
necessity  of  regeneration,  the  holy  character  of  God 
and  of  his  law,  the  fullness  of  the  atonement  made  by 
Christ  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  and  the  free  offer  of 
pardon  to  all  true  believers,  who  show  their  faith  by 
their  works.  To  preach  these  and  kindred  doctrines  has 
been  our  great  business. 

The  press  has  been  a  powerful  auxiliary  to  the  pulpit. 
The  language  when  printed  being  simple,  the  natives 
soon  learned  to  read,  and  their  fondness  for  reading- 
seemed  to  take  the  place  of  their  fondness  for  heathen 
sports;  so  that  it  was  difficult  to  supply  the  demand  for 
books.  The  chiefs  soon  learned  to  read  and  encouraged 
their  personal  attendants  also  to  learn.  These  when  they 
had  acquired  the  art,  were  sent  everywhere  to  teach 
others.  The  translation  of  the  New  Testament  was 
completed  in  the  year  1832,  and  of  the  whole  Bible  in 
1839.      Through  the  munificence  of  that  noble  institu- 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEX  AX  PER.  171 

tion,  the  American  Bible  Society,  several  editions  of 
both  have  been  published  and  circulated  among  the 
natives,  twenty  thousand  of  the  Bible,  and  fifty  thousand 
of  the  New  Testament.  And  through  that  other  noble 
institution,  the  American  Tract  Society,  a  variety  of 
tracts  on  the  great  doctrines  and  duties  of  Christianity 
have  been  sent  forth.  Besides  these  there  have  been 
issued  a  number  of  works  of  science  and  literature,  all 
adapted  to  arouse  and  improve  the  mind,  and  elevate  the 
character.  More  than  two  hundred  millions  of  pages 
have  gone  forth  from  our  presses,  like  leaves  from  the 
tree  of  life. 

Next  in  order  of  the  means  employed  to  save  that 
people  have  been  the  schools.  Go  where  you  will  over 
those  islands,  you  will  find  the  humble  school-house 
and  the  sanctuary  side  by  side.  About  twenty  years 
ago  the  Government  adopted  the  Puritan  principle 
that  the  children  were  the  property  of  the  State,  and 
that  it  was  the  duty  of  the  State  to  see  that  all  the 
children  were  educated.  A  school  system,  rude  and 
imperfect  at  first,  was  begun,  and  it  has  been  improved 
from  year  to  year,  until  it  has  now  nearly  as  much  order, 
symmetry  and  efficiency  as  that  of  any  other  country. 
The  State  provides  for  the  elementary  education  of  all 
the  youth,  and  requires  them  all  to  attend  school. 
There  are  three  hundred  and  thirty  public  free  schools, 
embracing  ten  thousand  children,  besides  a  flourishing 
high  school  and  twenty  select  or  boarding-schools,  in 
which  the  English  language  is  taught.  These  schools, 
if  we  except  those  under  Papists,  are  all  under  g^od 
Christian  influence. 

These  islands  are  now  emphatically  the  land  of 
Bibles,  churches  and  schools.     You  will   rarely   enter  a 


1 72  MEMOIR    OF 

house  where  there  is  not  at  least  a    Bible    and    hymn 
book  daily  used. 

Having  thus  briefly  described  t'he  condition  of  the 
people  to  whom  we  went,  and  the  means  employed  to 
enlighten  them,  I  will  now  narrate  what  has  been  the 
result. 

First,  we  will  notice  their  improvement  in  things 
temporal.  That  cruel,  iron-hearted  despotism  has  given 
place  to  a  Government  under  a  Constitution  and  laws 
as  enlightened  and  liberal  as  any  in  these  free  States. 
In  the  year  1840  King  Kamehameha  III.,  moved  not 
by  the  advance  of  hostile  armies,  nor  by  threats  of 
insurrection  or  revolution  among  his  subjects,  but  ap- 
parently by  a  sense  of  right,  by  a  feeling  of  good-will 
towards  his  people,  by  the  advice  of  Christian  chiefs  and 
others  around  him,  granted  a  Constitution  to  his  subjects, 
by  which,  at  one  blow,  the  whole  fabric  of  ancient 
despotic  rule  was  demolished,  and  the  people  secured  in 
their  rights,  both  civil  and  religious.  By  this  one  act  a 
nation  of  political  slaves  became  a  nation  of  freemen. 
This  was  a  wonderful  event;  those  precious  rights, 
which  have  usually  been  obtained  through  bloody  wars 
and  revolutions,  were  here  secured  simply  by  the  ad- 
vancing light  and  love  of  the  gospel  moving  a  mind  not 
subdued   to   the  obedience  of  Christ. 

This  was  not  all.  The  same  king,  under  that  same 
silent,  soul-elevating  influence,  by  his  own  voluntary  act, 
to  the  amazement  of  his  subjects,  made  them  all  free- 
holders. Every  man,  however  low  his  condition,  was 
made  the  owner  in  fee-simple  of  the  land  he  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  cultivating  for  a  term  of  years,  and  a 
royal  patent  for  the  same  with  the  great  seal  of  the 
kingdom  was  placed  in  his  hand ;  and  now  the  Kanaka, 


REV.   WM.    P.  ALEXANDER.  173 

who  was  -once  a  serf,  trodden  down  in  the  mire  by 
the  haughty  chiefs,  lives  in  his  own  house  as  his  castle, 
and  literally  under  his  own  vine  and  fig  tree.  Such  a 
state  of  things,  it  is  safe  to  say,  was  never  brought  about 
in  any  other  country  in  so  short  a  time,  and  without 
even  the  appearance  of  violence  or  force.  But  let  all 
the  glory  be  given  to  God,  who  sends  forth  the  gospel  to 
heal  the  nations. 

By  the  same  Constitution  the  right  of  universal 
suffrage  was  granted  to  the  common  people,  and  the 
rights  of  trial  by  jury  and  of  a  voice  in  the  enactment 
of  laws.  Xo  law  can  now  be  made  without  their  con- 
sent. An  independent  judiciary  was  also  guaranteed  to 
them ;  and  you  may  now  see  the  lowest  native  before 
the  courts  contending  for  his  rights  against  the  haughty 
chief,  who  but  a  few  years  before  regarded  him  as  the 
mire  under  his  feet.  The  vast  distance  which  once 
existed  between  the  chiefs,  who  traced  their  origin  to  the 
gods,  and  were  the  very  impersonation  of  pride  and 
self-consequence,  and  the  naked,  cringing,  spiritless  serf, 
who  could  hardly  realize  that  he  had  any  rights,  and 
trembled  at  the  very  idea  of  asserting  them,  was  now 
immeasurably  lessened ;  and  for  the  last  ten  years  we 
have  seen  both  meet  on  the  same  platform,  discussing 
public  measures,  and  hand  in  hand  working  the  whole 
machinery  of  society. 

The  right  of  personal  liberty  and  the  security  of 
property  naturally  led  to  more  industry,  though  not  so 
much  as  was  expected.  Indolence  is  an  inveterate  habit 
of  the  Hawaiian,  induced  by  oppression  for  centuries. 
Yet  a  powerful  motive  to  improve  their  lands  was  pre- 
sented, when  they  became  the  real  owners  of  the  soil; 
and,  in  fact,  thousands  of  neat  wooden  or  stone  cottages 


174  MEMOIR    OF 

have  taken  the  place  of  the  frail,  dark  and  cheerless 
huts;  and  you  find  more  or  less  furniture  in  all,  some  of 
them  very  well  furnished.  When  they  began  to  wear 
clothes,  a  single  garment  was  oppressive;  now  all  are 
daily  clad,  and  to  wear  clothing  has  become  a  necessity. 
Public  sentiment  requires  it.  Most  <  four  congregations 
on  the  Sabbath  present  a  very  respectable  appearance 
in  this  respect,  in  fact,  they  are  apt  to  dress  too  well  for 
their  means.  And  here  let  me  say  that  a  desire  to 
appear  decently  clad  in  the  house  of  God  on  the  Sab- 
bath has  had,  in  my  opinion,  more  influence  in  promoting 
cleanliness,  order  and  decency  among  the  people  than 
all  other  civilizing  causes  put  together:  Every  man, 
woman  and  child  who  attends  the  services  of  the  sanct- 
uary (and  it  is  the  fashion  among  them  to  go  to  church) 
will  find  some  suitable  apparel  to  put  on.  The  observ- 
ance of  the  Sabbath  has  been  one  of  the  great  causes  of 
their  advance  in  civilization  and  outward  prosperity. 
However  shabby  they  may  appear  from  day  to  day  at 
their  work  in  and  around  their  houses,  they  will  clean  up 
and   try  to  appear   well    in    the    house    of  God. 

The  family  constitution,  that  was  once  in  ruins,  a  per- 
fect chaos,  has  been  in  some  degree  built  up ;  but  it  is  still 
in  an  imperfect  state.  Where  polygamy  and  the  conse- 
quent domestic  confusion  prevailed,  the  law  of  marriage 
has  been  introduced,  its  violation  punished,  and  some 
degree  (in  some  cases  a  high  degree),  of  domestic  happi- 
ness exists.  The  higher  and  grosser  crimes,  such  as 
murder  and  robbery,  once  so  common,  are  now  seldom 
known  or  heard  of.  You  can  travel  unprotected  over 
the  mountains  and  beautiful  valleys  of  those  islands 
with   as    much  safety  as  in  any  part  of  the  world. 

They  were  formerly  a  nation   of  thieves,  and    petty 


REV.    WM.    P.   ALEXANDER.  175 

theft  is  yet  too  common,  yet  with  the  usual  care  property 
is  as  safe  as  in  any  country.  Drunkenness  once  deluged 
the  land;  whole  villages,  men,  women,  and  children, 
would  plunge  into  it  together;  and  scenes  of  debauchery 
were  witnessed  such  as  you  must  go  to  a  heathen  land  to 
find.  Now  they  are  really  a  vastly  more  temperate  and 
sober  people  than  you  will  find  in  almost  any  part  of 
this  land.     We  rarely  see  a  native  intoxicated. 

Licentiousness  has  been  the  besetting  sin  of  the  peo- 
ple. Society  was  once  a  sea  of  pollution ;  and  many 
ships  visiting  our  ports  were  floating  brothels  ;  and  every 
village  was  a  Sodom.  But  by  the  power  of  the  gospel, 
stringent  laws  and  public  sentiment,  this  odious  and 
consuming  vice  is  driven  back,  as  in  this  land,  into  deep 
concealment  and  midnight  darkness. 

Ignorance,  deep  and  dreadful,  once  rested  upon  the 
whole  nation.  No  one  knew  the  God  that  made  him, 
nor  the  Saviour  that  redeemed  him;  there  were  no 
letters,  nor  books,  nor  schools.  Captain  Cook  was  wor- 
shiped as  a  god,  and  his  ship  regarded  as  an  island 
afloat  on  the  sea.  The  movements  of  the  heavenly 
bodies,  the  eclipses  and  comets,  filled  the  people  with 
dismay.  They  regarded  many  diseases  as  a  possession 
of  devils  that  could  be  cured  only  by  sorcery.  Now  it 
is  a  land  of  Bibles,  tracts,  useful  books  and  newspapers. 
Taking  the  people  generally  they  are  well  acquainted 
with  the  great  historical  facts  of  the  Bible.  They  know 
the  story  of  Gethsemane  and  Calvary,  and  that  by  faith 
in  Christ  we  are  saved.  By  a  careful  calculation  from 
official  documents  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
as  great  a  proportion  of  those  islanders  can  read  and 
write  their  own  language  as  of  any  State  in  this  Union; 
and  the  Government  expends  a   greater  proportion  of 


176  MEMOIR  OF 

its  revenue  to  educate  the  people  than  any  other  Gov- 
ernment in  the  world. 

But  you  will  inquire,  What  has  been  the  progress  of 
vital  godliness  among  those  islanders  ?  This  is  the 
great  thing,  for  it  pertains  to  the  salvation  of  the  soul 
and  the  glory  of  God.  All  the  temporal  improvement, 
all  advance  in  civilization,  is  very  well;  but  this  docs  not 
satisfy  the  Christian.  He  wants  to  know  how  many 
souls  have  been  saved,  how  many  of  the  people  have 
embraced  Christ  by  a  saving  faith,  as  far  as  can  be 
judged  by  their  works.  These  are  solemn  inquiries  and 
most  reasonable;  and  I  take  great  pleasure  in  giving 
them  the  most  satisfactory  answer  in  my  power. 

I  proceed  then  to  state  that  there  have  been  received 
into  the  twenty-two  churches  on  those  islands  since  the 
establishment  of  the  mission,  thirty-nine  thousand  two 
hundred  and  fifty-four  persons  on  the  profession  of  their 
faith  in  Christ,  and  fourteen  thousand  and  four  hundred 
children  have  been  baptized;  fifteen  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  of  our  church-members  have  died, 
some  too  have  fallen  away  and  been  cut  off;  and  now 
there  remain  in  regular  standing  twenty-one  thousand 
six  hundred  and  seventy  scattered  over  the  islands. 
These  have  been  gathered  from  a  population  of  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  in  1820,  now  reduced  by 
the  progress  of  depopulation  to  about  seventy-three 
thousand. 

A  large  harvest  you  will  say.  Yes,  blessed  be  our 
merciful  God,  there  has  been  a  great  ingathering  !  We 
have  seen  displays  of  divine  mercy  such  as  few  are  per- 
mitted to  see  on  earth.  The  time  has  been  when  the 
whole  people  seemed  to  be  moved  by  the  presence  of 
God,  when  the  eager  congregation  would  drink  in  every 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  177 

word  spoken  like  men  dying  with  thirst.  They  received 
the  divine  commands  with  perfect  trust,  like  little  chil- 
dren. They  embraced  the  same  Saviour  in  whom  we 
trust,  and  on  him  they  rely. 

Yet  you  may  inquire,  How  do  the  Hawaiian  Chris- 
tians appear  ?  How  do  they  compare  with  Christians  in 
this  land  ?  It  is  not  easy  to  give  just  the  correct  answer 
to  these  questions,  as  the  Hawaiians  differ  so  widely  in 
their  character  and  habits  from  the  people  of  this  coun- 
try. Many  seem  to  suppose  that  converts  from  pagan- 
ism, as  they  emerge  from  deep  darkness  into  the  glorious 
light  of  the  gospel  and  look  back  and  see  "the  hole  of 
the  pit  whence  they  were  digged,"  will  see  the  truth  by 
contrast  more  clearly,  love  it  more  ardently,  and  walk 
more  uprightly  than  converts  in  Christian  lands.  But 
this  does  not  accord  with  my  observation,  nor  with 
reason.  Converts  among  the  heathen  are  apt  to  be  very 
imperfect,  even  those  giving  good  evidence  of  real  piety. 
Their  former  habits  of  idleness,  falsehood  and  hypocrisy, 
dishonesty  and  licentiousness,  are  not  eradicated  at 
once,  even  though  there  be  grace  in  the  heart.  They 
live  in  the  midst  of  evil  influences;  they  breathe  a 
polluted  atmosphere;  their  old  habits  hang  like  fetters 
upon  them;  everything  but  the  grace  of  God  is  against 
them.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  their  pastors  must  often 
exhort  them  not  to  "lie  one  to  another  ;  "  to  "flee  fornica- 
tion;" to  "keep  themselves  from  idols;"  to  lay  aside 
all  filthiness,  all  malice,  and  hypocrisy  "  ?  But  notwith- 
standing all  this,  taking  our  churches  as  a  whole,  there 
is  very  satisfactory  evidence  that  they  contain  much 
salt.  I  know  of  no  good  people  in  the  world  who  give 
better  evidence  of  piety  than  many  of  our  Hawaiian 
Christians.      Some  of  them   for  more  than   thirty  years 


i/8  MEMOIR    OF 

have  adorned  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour,  by  a 
harmless,  prayerful  and  godly  life.  Their  constant  at- 
tendance in  the  sanctuary  on  the  Sabbath,  and  in  the 
weekly  prayer-meetings,  and  their  sobriety  of  deport- 
ment, their  keeping  aloof  from  sinful  pleasures,  their  love 
of  the  brethren,  their  patient  endurance,  readiness  to 
give  and  labor  for  Christ's  cause,  afford  reason  to  believe 
that  they  are  born  of  God,  and  raised  to  newness  of  life. 
Some  of  them  have  made  great  attainments  in  piety 
and  are  shining  Christians. 

The  activity  of  our  churches  in  the  missionary  work 
is  very  encouraging.  The  monthly  concert  of  prayer 
for  the  heathen  is  generally  observed,  and  they  con- 
tribute liberally  of  their  substance.  They  have  sent 
of  their  people,  men  and  women,  to  Christianize  the 
tribes  far  to  the  south  and  westward  in  the  Pacific. 
During  the  last  year  the  contributions  of  the  island 
churches  for  foreign  missions  amounted  to  $4,000, 
and  during  the  same  year  they  contributed  about 
$18,000  for  the  support  of  pastors,  the  erection  of 
churches  and  other  benevolent  objects.  Most  of  them 
are  extremely  poor.  Having  no  ready  market  at  hand 
for  their  produce,  and  being  unskillful  in  developing  the 
resources  of  their  country,  they  get  but  little  money, 
and  that  little  comes  hard.  But  of  their  little  they  give 
ai  freely  perhaps  as  any  churches  in  the  world. 

This,  then,  is  the  result  of  mission  effort  on  that  peo- 
ple for  thirty-nine  years.  They  have  become  a  people 
who  were  not  a  people.  A  nation  has  been  redeemed 
from  darkness  and  bondage,  raised  to  light  and  freedom, 
and  has  taken  its  stand  among  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
with  its  regular  departments  of  government,  its  systems 
of  schools  embracing  all  the  children  and  youth,  over 


REV.    ir.U.   P.   ALEXANDER.  179 

ten  thousand  in  daily  attendance,  its  advancing  agri- 
culture and  commerce,  its  printing-presses,  newspapers 
and  literature.  The  name  of  Jehovah  is  invoked  in 
every  Privy  Council  of  the  king  and  in  every  legislative 
assembly.  Oaths  are  administered  in  all  their  courts. 
The  laws  acknowledge  Christianity  as  the  religion  of 
the  country  and  punish  idolatry  as  a  crime.  Temples 
once  used  for  heathen  worship,  with  all  its  obscenity, 
horror  and  blood,  once  thronged  by  naked,  sunburnt, 
and  beastly  savages,  have  been  demolished,  and  in  their 
stead  you  find  the  temples  of  the  living  God,  some  of 
them  excellent  buildings,  and  erected  by  the  poor 
natives  by  an  amount  of  toil  and  sacrifice  that  would  do 
honor  to  any  Christian  people.  There  have  been  received 
to  the  bosom  of  the  church  about  forty  thousand  con- 
verts from  the  darkest  form  of  paganism;  of  these  more 
than  fifteen  thousand  have  gone  to  their  reward;  and  if 
we  may  judge  from  a  Christian  life  and  dying  testimony 
for  Jesus,  many  have  gone  to  a  blessed  reward.  Others 
are  holding  on  their  way,  twenty-one  thousand  of  them 
scattered  over  the  group,  in  regular  standing  in  the 
churches. 

All  this  has  been  gained,  it  is  true,  at  cost  of  great 
toil,  self-denial,  and  treasure.  The  churches  of  the 
United  States  have  expended  about  a  million  of  dollars 
in  Christianizing  those  islanders.  And  now  I  ask, 
Have  they  not  received  a  rich  reward  ?  Had  there  been 
no  good  accomplished  there  beyond  what  pertains  to 
this  life,  no  good  save  that  of  freedom  from  oppression, 
general  intelligence,  decency,  comfort,  thrift,  tranquillity, 
and  self-respect,  all  the  toil  and  care  and  lives  and 
money  expended  would  have  been  a  most  profitable  in- 
vestment.    But  when   we  consider  the  value  of  the  soul 


i8o  MEMOIR    OP 

that  never  dies,  the  good  hope  we  have  that  hundreds, 
yea  thousands,  have  been  saved  from  perdition,  and  are 
already  singing  and  will  forever  sing  the  song  of  Moses 
and  the  Lamb,  have  we  not  cause  for  gratitude  that 
we  have  been  allowed  in  any  way  to  be  co-workers  in 
that  blessed  enterprise  ?  I  bless  God  that  he  ever  put 
it  into  my  heart  to  go  thither. 

I  address,  no  doubt,  those  who  have  done  much  for 
that  people.  Your  prayers  have  gone  up  for  them,  your 
sympathies  have  been  with  them  in  all  their  trials  and 
struggles  during  their  transition  state.  Your  money 
has  been  contributed  freely  to  aid  them,  and  now,  as  I 
have  rehearsed  to  you  something  of  what  God  has  done 
for  them,  do  you  not  feel  richly  rewarded  for  all  that  you 
have  done  ?  You  have  a  share  in  the  work,  a  part  of 
the  reward  is  yours.  And,  oh,  when  you  shall  stand  on 
Mount  Zion  above,  by  the  mother  who  once  murdered 
her  own  child,  or  by  the  old  warrior  whose  greatest  grati- 
fication once  was  to  spill  the  blood  of  his  enemies,  or  the 
haughty,  despotic  queen,  Kaahumanu,  whose  tender 
mercies  were  cruelties,  all  washed  and  made  clean  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb,  clothed  in  white  and  singing  by 
your  side  the  songs  of  redeeming  love,  will  it  not  add  to 
your  bliss  to  remember  that  you  had  some  instrumen- 
tality in  bringing  them  to  glory  and  blessedness? 

Still  our  work  among  the  Hawaiians  is  not  complete. 
We  cannot,  like  Paul  and  Barnabas,  leave  them  and  go 
on  to  tell  other  heathen  tribes  the  glad  message  of  the 
gospel.  The  polished,  educated  Greeks  who  heard  the 
gospel  from  the  apostles  and  embraced  it,  were  very 
unlike  the  besotted  Polynesian  savages.  Among  the 
former  were  already  the  materials  of  a  church  organiza- 
tion.    The  apostles  found  among  the  converts  persons 


REV.    Jl'.U.    P.   ALEXANDER.  181 

whom  they  could  at  once  ordain  as  pastors  of  the 
churches  they  had  just  gathered.  Our  churches  are  made 
up  of  babes  in  Christ,  and  they  need  the  parental  hand 
of  the  missionary  who  gathered  them,  to  guide  them 
still.  Yet  their  missionary  is  mortal  and  will  soon  pass 
away.  Who  then  will  take  his  place  ?  It  cannot  be 
expected  that  the  churches  in  this  country  will  continue 
to  send  out  fresh  laborers  to  carry  forward  this  work  for 
forty  years  to  come.  No,  Hawaii  must  have  her  own 
youth  trained  and  fitted  to  fill  all  her  posts  of  church 
and  State  ;  and  until  she  can  do  this,  our  work  is  incom- 
plete and  nothing  permanent  achieved.  The  key-stone 
of  the  arch  of  benevolent  enterprise  we  have  been 
erecting,  is  yet  to  be  inserted  ;  otherwise  the  whole  struct- 
ure may  yet  fall  to  the  ground.  That  key-stone  is  a 
college  to  educate  our  youth,  where  they  may  be  trained, 
if  God  gives  them  grace,  to  take  the  places  of  their 
fathers  and  carry  on  the  work  begun,  yea,  and  extend  it 
to  the  thousand  islands  lying  far  to  the  westward  with 
benighted,  degraded  inhabitants. 

A  school  was  established  at  Punahou,  on  the  island  of 
Oahu,  in  1841,  for  the  education  of  the  children  of 
missionaries;  for  we  could  not  feel  at  ease  in  our  work 
for  the  people  while  our  own  children  were  growing  up  in 
ignorance.  But  as  years  rolled  on,  and  our  work  pro- 
gressed, we  found  that  we  needed  more  than  simply  an 
academy.  The  colleges  of  America  were  thousands  of 
miles  distant;  few  of  our  youth  could  gratify  their  aspira- 
tions after  a  thorough  education  by  going  to  those  distant 
colleges.  It  was  undesirable  to  send  them  so  far  away 
from  parental  and  home  influences;  and  more  than 
all,  the  poverty  of  their  parents  rendered  it  impossi- 
ble.      Accordingly,    on    application     to    the    Hawaiian 


1 82  MEMOIR   OF 

Government,  a  liberal  charter  was  obtained,  incor- 
porating Oahu  College  in  the  year  1853.  And  the 
institution  is  now  in  progress,  having  a  President,  two 
professors  and  seventy  pupils.  The  majority  of  these 
pupils  are  the  children  of  your  missionaries;  five  are 
native  Hawaiian  boys;  many  are  the  children  of  respecta- 
ble foreigners  who  have  adopted  the  sunny  islands  as 
their  home.  Our  merciful  God  and  Saviour  has  smiled 
upon  this  school,  and  within  a  few  months  eighteen  have 
been  hopefully  converted.  More  than  half  of  all  the 
pupils  are  professed  Christians  ;  and  I  know  of  no  school 
in  this  land  pervaded  by  a  higher  moral  tone.  What  we 
need  now  is  a  little  pecuniary  aid  to  endow  its  pro- 
fessorships and  place  it  on  a  permanent  foundation. 
It  is  proposed  to  raise  $50,000  for  this  purpose.  The 
Hawaiian  Government  has  generously  subscribed  $10,- 
000  of  this  sum.  Two  years  ago  President  Beck- 
with  and  Dr.  Armstrong,  one  of  the  Trustees,  visited  this 
country  for  the  purpose  of  securing  this  endowment;  but 
the  commercial  distress  which  then  rolled  over  the  land 
arrested  them  in  the  undertaking;  and  now  I  have  come 
with  the  hope  of  finishing  what  they  begun.  What  we 
ask  for  would  not  more  than  build  one  small  steamboat, 
or  fit  out  one  whaleship.  And  I  feel  sure  that  the  Chris- 
tians here  who  have  made  so  large  and  good  an  invest- 
ment in  those  islands,  will  now  take  measures  to  render 
that  investment  a  perpetual  source  of  profit  and  comfort 
to  their  own  souls  and  of  everlasting  joy  to  those  island- 
ers, and  to  the  thousands  who  dwell  in  the  regions  be- 
yond; that  this  fountain  which  has  burst  forth  in  the 
desert,  may  send  its  healing  waters  throughout  the  vast 
Pacific  for  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel  and  the  glory 
of  our  common  Lord. 


MRS.   MARY   A.   ALEXANDER. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MRS.  MARY  A.  ALEXANDER. 

ACCOUNT  OF  HER  DEATH  AND  TRIBUTES  TO  HER 
MEMORY. 

AFTER  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Mary  Alex- 
ander lived  at  Haiku,  Maui,  in  the  families  of  her 
children,  finding  comfort,  after  the  sad  breaking  up  of 
the  "  Wailuku  Home,"  in  their  love  and  sympathy,  while 
to  them  she  was  by  her  influence  and  counsel  and  affec- 
tion a  light  and  joy  and  a  constant  benediction. 

Her  interest  for  the  natives,  for  whom  she  had  conse- 
crated herself  in  youth,  continued;  and  in  various  ways 
she  sought  to  do  them  good.  One  of  her  children  has 
written  of  her:  "  She  often  went  out  to  visit  the  natives  in 
Pauwela  (near  Haiku),  when  I  hardly  felt  she  was  well 
enough.  And  she  would  often  send  for  the  (Hawaiian) 
minister  to  talk  with  him.  I  have  known  her  also  to 
make  many  personal  appeals  to  different  ones  (of  the 
foreign  community)  to  become  Christians.  She  never 
shirked  a  known  duty.  .  .  .  She  herself  lived  very 
near  to  God.  Her  thoughts  were  more  with  the  next 
world  and  Christ  than  here."  Another  writes:  "I  think 
she  spent  most  of  her  waking  moments  in  prayer  and 
reading  the  Bible.  How  many  times  she  has  talked  with 
us  of  Heaven." 

Notwithstanding  the  loving  attentions  of  her  children 
and  friends,  she  sadly  felt  the  loss  of  her  husband.     In 

(1S3) 


1 84  MEMOIR  OF 

a  letter  to  one  of  her  sons  she  wrote:  "  I  miss  him  every 
hour.  But  the  separation  will  not  be  long.  There  will 
be  a  glorious  meeting  by  and  by  with  all  the  redeemed. 
'Those  that  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him.'" 

That  glorious  meeting  occurred  sooner  than  had  been 
anticipated.  Since  the  foregoing  memoir  was  written, 
and  before  it  was  published,  the  sad  tidings  have  come 
of  her  sudden  death. 

She  had  requested  that  her  name  should  appear  as 
little  as  possible  in  this  volume,  and  wished  her  portrait 
to  be  excluded;  but  the  propriety  of  inserting  her  like- 
ness, and  these  brief  accounts  of  her  and  tributes  to  her 
memory,  will  not  be  questioned. 

She  was  at  the  residence  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Emily 
Baldwin,  at  Haiku,  when  her  death  occurred.  She  had 
been  uncommonly  well  Thursdav  (June  28,  the  day  pre- 
vious to  her  death),  and  had  written  letters  to  all  her  ab- 
sent children,  letters  that  to  them  will  be  precious 
mementoes  of  her.  At  nine  P.  M.  she  retired  to  her  room, 
apparently  in  her  usual  health;  but  directly  afterwards 
she  called  for  assistance  to  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Baldwin, 
as  she  was  taken  with  a  severe  attack  of  cholera  morbus. 
A  native  was  sent  to  Wailuku  (sixteen  miles)  for  a  doctor. 
But  it  was  a  dark  and  rainy  night,  so  that  the  doctor 
did  not  arrive  till  five  o'clock  the  next  morning.  Another 
daughter,  Mrs.  Dickey,  was  at  Makawao,  and  at  her  re- 
quest was  sent  for.  Mr.  Dickey  and  Mrs.  Baldwin  ad- 
ministered what  remedies  they  could;  but  she  suffered 
greatly  with  paroxysms  of  pain  during  the  night.  Once 
she  remarked,  "  This  is  my  last  sickness."  But  her 
words  were  few,  on  account  of  her  sufferings.  The  doc- 
tor, when  he  arrived,  gave  her  medicines,  which  seemed 
to  relieve  her;  and  she  fell  asleep.     At  5:30  o'clock  (June 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALEXANDER.  185 

29,  1888)  she  awaked,  and  in  the  pain  and  retchings  of 
her  sickness  suddenly  fell  back  upon  her  pillow,  death 
occurring  from  the  rupture  of  an  artery  in  the  brain. 

The  sufferings  were  now  over;  her  long  life  of  love 
and  missionary  toil  was  ended;  the  Heaven  she  had 
talked  of,  the  glorious  meeting  with  her  husband  and  the 
redeemed  and  Christ  she  had  longed  for,  were  realized. 
She  was  at  rest  and  in  glory. 

The  news  of  her  death  reached  Honolulu  the  next 
morning.  Hon.  H.  P  Baldwin,  then  in  attendance 
in  the  Legislature  in  Honolulu,  chartered  the  steamer 
Likclike,  and,  accompanied  by  Prof.  W.  D.  Alexander, 
the  eldest  son,  reached  Haiku  in  time  for  the  fun- 
eral, which  was  at  ten  A.  M.  the  following  Sunday.  Most 
of  the  other  children  were  in  the  United  States,  and  one 
daughter  was  in  England.  A  large  concourse  of  the 
foreign  residents  and  natives  attended  the  funeral.  One 
of  the  children  has  written:  "  It  did  me  good  to  see  the 
feeling  shown  by  the  natives.  They  all  came  in  and 
wept  around  her  body,  as  she  lay  in  her  coffin.  One  by 
the  name  of  Hao  made  a  touching  prayer  over  her." 
Very  beautiful  floral  tributes  were  sent  in,  one  of  which 
was  sent  by  a  native  woman,  a  cross,  which  was  placed 
upon  the  casket. 

The  funeral  services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  Thomas 
L.  Gulick,  who  opened  with  a  short  prayer;  the  hymn, 
"Rock  of  Ages,"  was  then  sung  by  a  quartet  of  voices; 
Rev.  Bissell  then  led  in  prayer;  the  hymn,  "Beautiful 
Valley  of  Eden,  "  was  then  sung;  then  Mr.  Gulick  made 
the  touching  and  appropriate  address  which  is  appended; 
after  this  the  hymn,  "  Beyond  the  Smiling  and  the 
Weeping,"  was  sung;  then  all  followed  the  remains  to 
the  grave.     This  had  been  prepared  north  of  the  house, 


1 86  MEMOIR  OF 

amongst  orange  and  eucalyptus  trees.  It  is  proposed  to 
remove  the  body  at  some  future  time,  to  be  laid  beside 
that  of  her  husband  in  the  cemetery  at  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia. "At  the  grave  the  native  pastor  led  in  prayer, 
and  a  native  hymn  was  sung  very  softly  and  tenderly 
by  a  native  choir,  to  the  tune, '  Home,  Sweet  Home  ;'  and 
then  'dust  to  dust,  ashes  to  ashes;'  but  the  glorified 
spirit  was  already  enjoying  that  bliss  of  which  we  can- 
not here  form  any  conception." 


SERMON,    BY    REV.    T.    L.    GULICK,    AT    THE    FU- 
NERAL OF  MRS.   M.  A.   ALEXANDER. 

Zech.  14:7:  "At  evening-time  it  shall  be  light." 
This  was  very  true  of  our  dear  Mother  Alexander. 
After  a  long  and  bright  day,  filled  with  love  and  useful- 
ness, there  was  a  serene  and  beautiful  evening-time,  in 
which  a  mild  radiance  shone  about  her,  filling  those  who 
knew  her  with  thoughts  of  Heaven,  and  bright  anticipa- 
tions of  the  greater  glory  which  she  was  soon  to  behold. 
When  she  suddenly  left  us  it  almost  seemed  as  though 
we  could  see  the  pearly  gates  and  the  golden  streets 
where  she  had  entered  to  join  her  companion  in  the  toils 
of  earth,  the  innumerable  company  of  angels,  and  the 
spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect. 

She  had  but  little  of  this  world's  goods,  but  what  a 
rich  legacy  she  has  left,  not  only  to  her  children,  but  to 
us  all  !  Its  worth  is  above  all  rubies  and  precious  stones. 
She  was  so  retiring  that  only  those  who  were  intimate 
with  her  were  conscious  of  the  full  strength  of  her  char- 
acter; but  who  that  knew  her  has  not  felt  the  warm  pulse 
of  her  loving  heart? 


REV.    WM.  P.  ALU  WINDER.  187 

God  is  love,  and  that  divine  love  had  so  entered  into 
her,  that  it  seemed  to  have  taken  possession  of  her  whole 
being,  and  to  irradiate  with  light  and  warmth  all  who 
came  within  the  circle  of  her  influence.  It  was  this 
flame  of  divine  love  burning  bright  in  their  hearts  which 
led  her  and  her  husband,  with  a  heroism  surpassing  that 
of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  of  New  England,  to  sail  from  New 
Bedford,  November  26,  183 1,  1 3  spend  their  lives  far 
from  home  and  kindred,  in  lifting  degraded  savages  out 
of  heathen  darkness.  It  was  this  unquenchable  love  and 
heroism  which  led  a  little  company  of  six  devoted  men 
and  women,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alexander,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arm- 
strong, and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker,  to  make  the  deter- 
mined effort  for  nine  terrible  months  to  live  among  the 
cannibals  in  the  Marquesas  Islands,  which  they  left 
when  they  found  that  an  English  society  thought  they 
had  a  prior  claim  upon  the  field. 

For  fifty-seven  years,  with  only  one  short  visit  to  the 
home  and  friends  of  her  youth,  Mother  Alexander  has 
spent  her  life  in  voluntary  exile  for  the  love  of  souls. 
The  Marquesas  Islands,  Waioli,  Kauai,  Lahainaluna, 
Wailuku,  and  Haiku  have  for  these  fifty-seven  years 
been  witnesses  of  her  faith,  hope,  and  love.  Among  the 
most  marked  traits  of  her  character  was  her  modest, 
meek,  and  gentle  spirit,  which  made  her  heroism  the 
more  noticeable  and  praiseworthy.  It  was  always  her 
joy  to  help  any  who  were  in  need  or  distress,  at  however 
great  inconvenience  to  herself. 

Her  children,  her  grandchildren,  her  neighbors,  the 
Hawaiians,  all  who  knew  her,  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed. 
Those  of  us  who  have  known  her  more  during  the  last 
years  of  her  life,  have  been  struck  with  her  constant 
solicitude  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  all  about  her.     The 


1 88  MEMOIR    OF 

object  to  which  she  consecrated  the  strength  and  bloom 
of  her  youth,  was  increasingly  dear  to  her  in  old  age. 
Now  that  she  is  gone,  an  added  responsibility  to  work 
and  to  pray  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  will  be  laid  upon 
each  of  us. 

Our  friend  was  one  whose  delight  was  in  the  Word  of 
God.  It  was  sweeter  to  her  "than  honey  and  the  honey- 
comb." She  "hid  it  in  her  heart,"  and  "  meditated  on  it 
day  and  night." 

One  of  the  most  familiar  ways  in  which  her  children 
can  picture  their  mother  to  themselves  is  with  the  loved 
Book  open  before  her.  Her  mark  was  found  in  her  Bible 
at  the  seventy-first  psalm,  which  probably  was  the  last 
chapter  she  read. 

"In  thee,  O  Lord,  do  I  put  my  trust;  "  "  cast  me  not  off 
in  the  time  of  old  age;  forsake  me  not  when  my  strength 
faileth."  "  I  will  hope  continually,  and  will  yet  praise  thee 
more  and  more."  "  Now  when  I  am  old  and  gray- 
headed,  O  God,  forsake  me  not;  until  I  have  showed  thy 
strength  unto  this  generation,  and  thy  power  to  every- 
one that  is  to  come."  "  My  tongue  also  shall  talk  of  thy 
righteousness  all  the  day  long."  "  My  lips  shall  greatly 
rejoice  when  I  sing  unto  thee;  and  my  soul,  which  thou 
hast  redeemed." 

We  all  know  with  what  pleasure  she  sang  with  us, 
"  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me,"  and  the  other  familiar 
hymns  dear  to  every  Christian.  Now  she  has  joined  the 
heavenly  choir  in  singing  the  song  of  Moses  and  the 
Lamb.  "  Great  and  marvelous  are  thy  works,  Lord  God 
Almighty,  just  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of 
saints." 

By  a  providential  ordering,  our  theme  at  the  last 
prayer-meeting  she  attended,  and  which  she  afterwards 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  189 

said  she  enjoyed  very  much,  was  "  Heaven  our  home, 
the  home  of  our  Father  and  Redeemer." 

The  very  last  words  several  of  us  ever  heard  from  her 
lips  were  the  words  of  our  Master,  "If  I  go  and  prepare  a 
place  for  you,  I  will  come  again  and  receive  you  unto 
myself;  that  where  I  am  there  ye  may  be  also."  The 
certainty  and  the  joy  of  being  forever  with  CJirist  was  the 
last  thought  we  heard  her  express.  How  fitting  !  How 
sweet  to  remember  !  How  little  we  then  supposed  that 
this  dear  mother  in  Israel  would  so  soon  enter  the  home 
to  which  her  loving  thoughts  ran  forward  ! 

Can  we  not  almost  hear  the  welcome,  "Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord  "  ? 

I  cannot  feel,  my  friends,  that  this  is  a  day  of  mourn- 
ing. It  is  a  day  in  which  Christ  anew  brings  life  and 
immortality  to  light.  It  is  a  day  of  victory;  a  day  of 
welcome  home  to  one  who  was  ready,  and  who  longed  for 
the  Father  s  house.  Faithful  unto  death,  she  has  received 
the  crown  of  life.  Thanks  be  to  God,  who  giveth  us  the 
victory  through  our  Lord  fesus  Christ. 


OBITUARY  OF    MRS.  M.  A.  ALEXANDER,  BY  REV. 
S.   E.  BISHOP. 

By  the  death  of  this  venerable  missionary  mother  the 
survivors  of  the  re-inforcement  of  1832  are  reduced  to 
three,  Mrs.  Emerson,  Mrs.  Armstrong,  and  Mrs.   Parker. 

Mrs.  Alexander's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Ann  Mc- 
Kinney.  She  was  born  near  Wilmington,  Delaware, 
January  10,  1810.  In  May,  1824,  she  made  that  public 
profession  of  religion  that  was  followed  and  verified  by 


iqo  MEMOIR    OF 

a  consecrated  life  of  faithful  and  steadfast  Christian  serv- 
ice. She  had  become  a  resident  of  Harrisburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  October  25,  1831, 
to  the  Rev.  W.  P.  Alexander.  On  November  26  fol- 
lowing they  embarked  at  New  Bedford  in  the  Averick, 
as  missionaries  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  to  the  Hawaiian 
Islands.  With  the  Armstrongs  and  Parkers,  the  Alex- 
anders lived  for  part  of  one  year  among  the  Marquesas 
cannibals,  during  1833-34.  That  mission  having  been 
surrendered  to  the  London  Missionary  Society,  they  re- 
turned to  Honolulu,  having  endured  great  perils  and 
hardships.  They  were  then  stationed  at  Waioli,  Kauai, 
residing  there  until  1843.  Lahainaluna  Seminary  then 
became  their  home  until  1857,  when  they  removed  to 
Wailuku,  Maui. 

Both  at  Lahainaluna  and  at  Wailuku  for  forty  years 
the  Alexander  home  was  the  seat  of  the  warmest  and 
most  abundant  hospitality,  to  which  the  calm  and  gra- 
cious nature  and  the  efficient  ministrations  of  the  house- 
mother contributed  no  less  than  the  high  and  genial 
manliness  of  the  honored  father.  It  seems  to  us  that,  in 
the  varied  and  pleasant  memories  of  old  missionary  life 
in  Hawaii,  no  home  stands  out  in  memory  more  radiant 
with  generous  Christian  light  and  sweetness.  Mrs. 
Alexander  was  a  woman  of  ever  high  and  earnest  tone, 
wise,  calm,  patient,  and  faithful,  steadfast  and  cheerful 
under  many  trials  and  burdens,  and  mucli  experience  of 
invalidism.  Her  faith  in  Christ  was  clear  and  strong 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  It  ever  sustained  and 
rejoiced  her,  and  filled  her  with  love  and  zeal  for  the 
salvation  of  men. 

As  the  mother  of  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  but 
one*  of  whom  survive  her,  it  was  in  the  sacred  maternal 


REV.    WM.    P.    ALEXANDER.  191 

life  that  Mrs.  Alexander's  strength  of  body  and  spirit 
was  largely  expended.  She  was  a  loving,  wise,  and  suc- 
cessful nourisher  and  trainer  of  her  flock.  The  large 
and  greatly  prospered  tribe  of  her  children  and  grand- 
children do  indeed  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed.  To  her, 
through  them,  Hawaii  already  owes  much,  both  spirit- 
ually and  socially,  and  is  likely  to  be  still  more  a  debtor. 
Her  memory  and  her  husband's  are  especially  dear  to 
Hawaiians,  so  many  of  whom  enjoyed  their  training  in 
seminary  and  in  household,  as  well  as  in  pastoral  inter- 
course. It  may  be  truly  said  that  their  memories  are  fra- 
grant throughout  the  communities  of  these  islands. 
Their  works  do  follow  them. 


EXTRACT  FROM  LETTER  OF  MRS.  M.  D.  MER- 
RITT,  OF  OAHU  COLLEGE,  TO  MRS.  BALDWIN. 

My  love  and  sympathy  are  with  you  in  your  loss  of 
the  precious  mother,  who  has  gone  out  from  your  home. 
I  knew  her  but  slightly;  but  she  won  my  heart  by  a  let- 
ter of  sympathy,  when  our  baby  died;  and  she  has 
seemed  very  dear  to  me  ever  since. 

Your  husband  will  tell  you  of  the  memorial  meeting 
for  her  Wednesday  evening,  and  of  the  loving  expression 
from  Dr.  Beckwith.  I  have  thought  so  many  times  of 
last  summer,  when  Mrs.  Dana  and  I  s  it  for  nearly  a 
whole  forenoon  in  her  room,  listening  with  the  most  in- 
tense interest  to  her  story  of  her  life  in  the  South  Seas. 
She  told,  as  simply  and  naturally  as  though  they  were 
nothing  to  be  wondered  at,  experiences  which  seemed 
to  us  from  our  standpoint,  a  marvel  of  consecrated,  self- 
sacrificing  love.     The  impression  made  upon  Mrs.  Dana 


192  MEMOIR  OF 

was  a  most  marked  one,  and  she  often  spoke  of  it  to  me 
afterwards. 

I  know  what  a  benediction  her  presence  must  have 
been  in  your  house,  and  how  sadly  you  miss  her.  The 
sadness  and  the  loneliness  are  the  realities  here.  May 
the  dear  Lord  give  you  abundantly  his  presence  and 
help. 


EXTRACT  FROM    LETTER  OF  MR.  E.  BAILEY. 

So  filled  am  I  with  thoughts  of  the  blessed  rest  of  the 
departed  one,  of  the  fullness  of  joy  to  which  she  has  en- 
tered, of  her  meetings  with  the  dear  departed  ones  from 
whom  she  has  been  separated,  asd  especially  with  that 
Saviour,  whom  she  had  so  long  loved  and  so  faithfully 
served,  that  I  am  in  danger  of  overlooking  the  sadness 
of  the  bereavement  to  those  who  are  left  to  mourn  her  loss. 
Nothing  can  fill  for  them  the  gap  so  suddenly  made. 
The  torn  heart  will  weep.  But  their  grief  too  cannot  be 
unmixed  with  joy  at  the  remembrance  of  what  she  has 
been  to  them  for  so  long,  and  that  she  has  arrived  at  the 
close  of  a  well- filled  life,  with  so  little  to  regret  and  so 
much  in  which  to  rejoice.  Such  a  life  as  hers  is  seldom 
seen  in  our  imperfect  world. 

She  had  leaned  much  on  her  husband  till  he  was 
taken  away;  and  since  that,  although  she  has  had  so 
many  kind  and  dutiful  children  ready  to  do  their  utter- 
most to  fill  his  place,  I  am  sure  it  could  never  be  quite 
filled.  And  now  she  has  gone  to  rejoin  him.  What  a 
glorious  meeting  !  It  was  a  marriage  for  eternity!  And 
we  cannot  doubt  that  the  reunion  is  a  true  one.  She 
has  met  one  child  too,  and  will  be  ready  to  meet  them 
all  as,  one  by  one,  they  follow  after  her  to  the  glorious 
world. 


REV.    WM.   P.   ALEXANDER.  193 

EXTRACT  FROM  A  LETTER  OF  MRS.  M.  E.  PARKER. 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  write  much  of  your  dear  mother, 
whom,  as  you  know,  I  greatly  loved.  After  your  father's 
death  and  her  return  to  the  islands  we  frequently  ex- 
changed thoughts  on  the  subjects  that  were  then  engag- 
ing much  attention,  political  and  moral  and  always  relig- 
ious. I  miss  her  letters;  but  she  does  not  seem  to  me  to 
be  any  farther  away  than  while  she  was  living  on  Maui. 

Let  me  mention  some  of  my  remembrances  of  her. 
Away  back  fifty  and  more  years  ago,  when  I  first  knew 
her,  she  was  beautiful  to  look  upon.  If  at  length  the 
outward  faded  somewhat  under  cares,  labors,  and  sor- 
rows of  mission  life,  we  did  not  think  of  that;  for  the 
inward  was  strengthening  in  affection — in  an  affection 
that  included  not  only  her  friends,  but  also  the  low  races 
for  whom  in  early  youth  she  came  to  the  Pacific.  The 
great  desire  of  her  heart  was  to  bless  and  save  them> 
and  this  continued  to  her  last  days. 

I  well  remember  a  little  incident  of  our  life  together 
at  the  Marquesas.  During  the  first  week  of  our  resi- 
dence there  we  stowed  away  very  closely,  for  our  homes 
were  in  a  small  shed.  Her  ten  feet  square  was  next  to 
my  ten  feet,  and  Sister  Armstrong's  ten  feet  was  beyond 
hers,  in  the  end  nearest  the  seashore.  One  time  Mr. 
Alexander  and  Mr.  Parker  had  planned  an  excursion  to 
the  next  bay;  they  were  to  climb  the  cliff  and  descend 
into  the  Taipi  Valley.  This  would  make  them  absent 
a  day  and  night.  Your  mother  proposed  that  I  should 
come  to  her  room  and  sleep  with  her  to  beguile  loneli- 
ness and  share  anxiety.  About  midnight  we  were 
startled  by  terrible,  savage  yells,  and  the  sounds  came 
nearer  and  nearer.    Whatever  it  might  be  it  was  headed 

in  the  direction  of  our  homes.     Our  first  anxiety  was 
is 


194  MEMOIR     OF 

lest  William  should  awake,  frightened,  and  attract  the 
attention  of  the  savages.  Your  mother  said  to  me,  "Our 
only  refuge  now  is  our  God;  we  will  pray."  The  child 
slept  on  between  us;  the  sounds  were  deeper  and  nearer 
for  a  short  period,  and  then  grew  fainter;  and  the  crowd 
passed  the  house,  and  went  on  in  another  direction,  and 
we  went  to  sleep  undisturbed,  under  divine  protection, 
was  it  ?  We  thought  so.  In  the  morning  we  found  it 
was  a  religious  procession  that  had  passed  by.  A  shark 
had  been  taken  by  the  fishermen,  and  this  was  a  god  to 
be  worshiped  in  the  only  way  they  knew.  Does 
not  this  show  something  in  favor  of  the  heathen  nations? 
have  they  not  some  sacred  feelings  ?  some  ideas  of  a 
Being  over  them,  to  be  honored  and  worshiped  ?  Yet 
let  me  say  it,  that  in  their  sensual  daily  lives  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  believe  they  had  souls. 

I  have  digressed,  I  see,  but  the  incident  I  have  men- 
tioned shows  how  your  mother  always  prayed,  always 
believed  in  the  answer  of  prayer,  that  it  would  come. 
Her  letters  to  me  always  closed  with  the  words,  "  Let 
us  pray  earnestly." 

I  take  pleasure  in  telling  another  incident  of  more  re- 
cent date.  We  missionaries  have  our  missionary  friends, 
away  from  us,  some  of  them  poor,  if  one  can  be  poor 
who  serves  the  Lord  Jesus.  We  have  a  friend  who  was 
once  a  missionary  teacher  at  the  islands.  She  has  been 
many  years  away  from  us,  and  has  had  many  reverses. 
Out  of  love  the  sisters  here  have  from  time  to  time  made 
small  purses  for  her.  Mrs.  Lowell  Smith  did  it  while 
she  lived  ;  then  it  seemed  to  fall  to  my  care,  the  privilege. 
But  I  was  not  always  skillful  as  I  desired  to  be,  and 
sometimes  was  discouraged.  So  I  wrote  to  your  mother, 
thinking,  knowing,  she  would  send  me  her  $5.00.     When 


REV.    WM.    P.    ALEXANDER.  195 

the  postal  came  it  was  so  much  I  would  not  draw  it,  till 
I  wrote  and  asked  if  the  figures  were  correct.  She  re- 
plied, "Yes,  right,  draw  it  soon,  for  the  money  is  paid 
and  it  is  not  best  to  delay."  Well,  to  be  brief,  there  came 
another  $20,  at  her  suggestion  I  supposed,  for  I  had  not 
asked  for  it.  I  love  to  think  of  this  and  many  other 
acts;  and  this  was  among  the  last  of  her  life. 

Your  mother's  true  love  for  Christ  and  his  kingdom, 
and  her  deep  affection  for  her  friends,  and  for  her  chil- 
dren, words  cannot  tell;  but  you  know  how  her  works 
testified  for  her.  Her  very  last  letters  to  me  told  of  a 
new  joy.  "I  am  just  now  able,"  she  said,  "to  get  around 
to  the  scattered  and  distant  homes  of  the  natives  in 
Haiku,  as  Annie  (Mrs.  Dickey)  can  now  take  me  in  a 
carriage,  where  I  could  not  walk."  She  had  often  said, 
"  I  have  everything  of  comfort  in  my  new  home,  only 
the  natives  live  so  far  away  from  me."  This  difficulty  of 
visiting  the  natives  was  always  her  deep  regret  after 
leaving  Wailuku. 

Mrs.  Lyman,  of  Hilo,  was  an  especial  friend  and  cor- 
respondent of  hers;  and  as  you  know  perhaps,  Sister 
Lyman's  sudden  death  was  a  great  shock  to  her.  She 
wrote  me  about  it  in  a  strain  that  was  new  for  her.  She 
evidently  was  reviewing  her  own  life,  searching  out  what 
she  termed  defects  and  short-comings,  and  seeking  to  at- 
tain a  higher  Christian  consecration.  -Her  letter  pained 
me;  for  my  impression  was  that  she  might  be  going 
soon  herself,  and  that  she  had  no  need  to  review  her  life. 
But  she  recovered  from  this  state  of  mind,  and  her  letters 
were  cheerful  to  the  end.  She  had  built  on  a  solid 
foundation.  Jesus  was  all  in  all  to  her,  always,  and 
prayer  was  her  refuge  in  all  the  storms  of  life. 

Your  father  was  the  best  and  noblest  of  men.     A  great 


196 


MEMOIR    OF 


deal  went  out  of  Hawaii  that  was  love  and  kindness  to 
me  when  he  went.  Now  your  mother  has  gone  to  him, 
and  they  are  waiting  for  their  children  to  join  them  in 
the  glories  of  the  Lord. 


